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TODD,  JOHN  ADAMS 


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MEMOIR  OF  THE  REV 


PE 


T 


ER  LABAGH,  D.  D. 


PLACE: 


NEW  YORK 


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Todd,  John  Adams,  1822-1900. 

Memoir  of  the  Rev.  Peter  Labacrh,  d.  d.,  with  notices  of  the 
history  of  flio  Reformed  Protestant  Dntcli  church  in  North 
America.  By  the  Ilev.  John  A.  Todd  ...  To  wliicli  is  added 
tlie  sermon  preached  at  Dr.  I.aban:h's  funeral,  by  the  Ilev.  Ga- 
briel Ludlow  ...  New  York,  Board  of  publication  of  the  Re- 
formed Protestant  Dutch  church,  18G0. 

vl.  i7j-339,  il)  p.    front,  (port.)     19^"'. 

r  LnLn^h.  IVtor.  177n-l.sr,8.  2.  Funeral  sornions.  X  lU'forn.od  clnirch 
In  America  i.  Ln.llow.  Gnl.riol,  1707-1878.     ii.  Hlifornied  church  in 

America.    Board  of  publication. 


30-19845 


Library  of  Congress 


I{X9r,1.3.UT0 


922..-73 


TECHNICAL  MICROFORM  DATA 


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MEMOIR 


OF   TUE 


REV.  PETER  LABA6H.  D.D. 


WITH    NOTICES   OF  THE 


listorg  Df  tk  leformtlr  |r0testot  i^ttlr  €\m\ 


IN    NORTH   AMERICA. 


^  B  Y     T  H  K 


J 


BEV.   JOHN  A.  TODD, 

Pastor  of  the  Second  Kefurmkd  Protestant  Dctcii  Chcrch  of  Tarrytown,  N.  Y. 


T«>  \\iih;h  la  addeh 


rht  Scrn^^n  i.r*ach(d  nt  Dr.  UhaghU  funeral,  by  th«  Rev.  Gabriel  Ludlow,  D.D.,  Patter  of  the 
litformed  Prvtutant  Dutch  Church,  of  Shannock,  JVVu>  Jertey.  > 


N  K  W    Y  O  K  K  : 

BOARD    OF    PUBLICATION 

REFORMED  PROTESTANT   DUTCH   CHURCH. 

Synod's  Rooms,   No.  01   Franklix  Strekt. 

1860. 


i- 


E5TERED  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1860,  by 

RET.    THOMAS    C.    STRONG, 

On  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Publication  of  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church 

In  North  America,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the 

United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


I 


H09FORD    A   CO., 

•  TATIOHKRS    AKO    PRI9TK1I9, 

57  and  5B  WlllUiti  St.,  N.  Y. 


' 


"  Hk  stands  in  the  desk,  that  grave  old  man, 
With  an  eye  still  bright,  though  hie  cheek  is  wan, 
And  his  long  Avhite  locks  are  backward  rolled 
From  his  noble  brow  <>f  classic  mould. 
And  his  form,  though  bent  by  the  weight  of  years, 
Somewhat  of  its  primal  beauty  wears. 

He  opens  the  page  of  the  Sacred  Word ; 

Not  a  whisper,  nor  low  nor  loud,  is  heard; 

Even  folly  assumes  a  serious  look, 

As  he  readeth  the  words  of  tlie  Holv  Book; 

And  the  thoughtless  and  gay  grow  reverent  there 

As  he  opens  his  lips  in  fervent  prayer. 

He  stands  as  the  grave  old  prophet  stood, 
Proclaiming  the  truth  of  the  living  God; 
Pouring  reproof  on  the  ears  of  men 
Whose  hearts  are  at  ease  in  their  folly  and  sin, 
With  a  challenge  of  guilt  still  unforgiven 
To  the  soul  unfitted,  unmeet  for  heaven. 

Oh,  who  can  but  honor  that  good  old  man, 
A?  he  neareth  his  threescore  years  and  ten, 
Who  hath  made  it  the  work  of  his  life  to  bless 
Our  world  in  its  woe  and  wickedness, 
Still  guiding  the  few,  who  were  wont  to  stray 
In  the  paths  of  ain,  to  the  narrow  way  ? 


r  Jr'^  n  r" 


f 


^ 

» 


^ 


With  a  kindly  heart,  through  the  lapsing  years, 
He  hath  shared  our  joys,  he  hatii  wiped  our  tears; 
He  hath  bound  the  wreath  on  the  brow  of  the  bride, 
He  hath  stood  by  the  couch  when  loved  ones  died, 
Pointing  the  soul  to  a  glorious  heaven, 
As  the  ties  which  bound  it  to  earth  were  riven. 

Methinks  ye  '11  weep  on  another  day, 
"VVlien  the  good  old  man  shall  have  passed  away. 
When  the  last  of  his  ebbing  sands  have  run, 
When  his  labors  are  o'er,  and  his  work  is  done. 
Who  '11  care  for  the  flock,  and  keep  the  fold, 
When  his  pulse  is  still  and  his  heart  is  cold  ? 

Ye '11  miss  him  then;  every  look  and  tone 
So  familiar  now,  for  ever  gone. 
Will  thrill  the  heart  with  inward  pain. 
And  ye  '11  long  and  listen  for  them  in  vain. 
When  a  stranger  form  and  a  stranger  face 
Shall  stand  in  your  honored  pastor's  place." 


P  E  E  F  A  C  E 


The  author  of  this  Memoir  desires  to  inform  his  readers  in  the 
outset,  that  his  only  object  in  preparing  this  volume  for  publication 
was  to  present  in  a  connected  narrative,  and  thereby,  so  far  as  pos- 
sible, to  rescue  from  oblivion,  a  number  of  what  he  supposed  to  be 
interesting  and  important  facts.  Interesting  and  important,  as 
constituting  in  a  large  measure  the  history  of  an  eminent  and  la- 
borious servant  of  Christ,  who  was  useful  in  his  day  and  generation, 
and  who,  now  that  he  is  dead,  deserves  a  place  in  the  grateful  recol- 
lections of  those  whom  he  has  left  behind  him  ;  and  not  less  so  cer- 
tainly as  entering,  to  some  extent,  into  the  history  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  during  a  period  of  great  embarrassment  and  difficul- 
ty, in  which  she  was  obliged,  while  endeavoring  to  send  the  Gospel 
to  the  destitute,  to  maintain  an  almost  incessant  struggle  for  her  own 
existence.  From  such  materials  as  he  has  been  able  to  obtain,  and 
they  have  been  bj'  no  means  abundant,  the  author  has  wrought  out 
the  following  pages,  and  he  now  gives  them  to  the  press  in  the  hope 
that,  imperfect  as  they  are,  they  may  be  found  not  entirely  useless. 
He  has  performed  his  task  amidst  the  constant  interruptions  and 
cares  which  are  incident  to  the  pastoral  office,  and  he  trusts  that 
this  fact  will  furnish  an  acceptable  apology  for  whatever  faults  of 
arrangement  or  expression  the  critical  reader  may  detect 


1  <iiH]'wiiimitfiip^wim>"iir.iHriitfi«'  ^ 


I  i 


\\ 


In  respect  to  the  facts,  he  has  aimed  in  all  cases  to  be  clear  and 
accurate ;  and  it  may  be  tliat  some  will  discover  what  they  regard  ai 
an  unnecessary  minuteness  of  detail  in  the  mention  of  names,  titles, 
and  dates,  and  matters  of  a  similar  nature.  Having  himself,  while 
preparing  this  Memoir,  experienced  in  many  instances  the  inconve- 
nience and  }>erple.\ity  arising  from  the  want  of  spooific  statements, 
and  learned  the  value  o?  them  in  fre«|uently  enabling  one  to  deter- 
mine' some  doubtful  .juestiun  by  a  comparison  of  eircumstances,  he 
has  i,h.»ught  i»  better  lo  err  vp  the  safe  side,  and  to  incur  the  charge 
of  too  inucli,    lithe}  Amn  o'  ^oo  ;ittle  minuteness. 

Before  concluding  these  .)refator3^  remark*,  lie  desire?  also  to 
make  his  aeknowledguients  to  Mr.  A.  II.  Ritchie,  whose  taste  and 
skill  as  an  artist  are  so  auiversally  ••eeognized  and  admired,  for  the 
elegant  -iteel-plate  engraving  which  accompanies  this  Memoir.  Al- 
though it  was  taken  from  a  daguerreotype  taken  while  Dr.  Labagh 
was  laboring  under  the  fatigue  consequent  upon  a  long  drive  in 
Greenwood  Cemetery,  on  a  very  warm  <l:iy,  it  presents  his  features 
and  general  expressi.>n  with  iTuth  and  fairness,  ft  will  bring  back 
to  many,  under  whose  eyes  it  shall  come,  a  cotintenunce  rendered 
familiar  by  the  pleasant  intercourse  of  years. 

This  volume  is  now  sent  forth  with  the  prayer  that  by  the  exam- 
ple of  him  whose  life,  labors,  and  character,  it  is  an  humble  attempt 
to  exhibit,  and   by  th«  blessing  of  God  upon  its  teachings,  it  may 

be  productive  of  some  good  in  raising  up  others  to  follow  in  his 
steps. 

PARfioNAOK  of  the  Second  Reformed  Dutch  Chirch, 
TARRYTow^x,  New  York,  August  12,  1859. 


I 


J- 


II. 


MEMOIR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Introductory  Rediabks  —  Parentage  —  Letters  from  his  Mother  — 
Death  of  uis  Mother  —  Obituary  by  Dr.  Wilson  —  REiPEcr  for 
her  Memory  —  Record  in  the  Famllv  Register. 

Your  fathers,  where  are  tliey  ?  And  the  prophets, 
do  they  live  forever?  Such  was  the  inquiry  by 
which  the  ancient  messenger  of  heaven  sought  to 
arouse  the  minds  of  his  countrymen  to  serious  con- 
sideration. By  it  he  set  forth,  to  the  eye  of  memory, 
God's  dealings  with  their  nation  in  the  past,  and 
endeavored,  in  view  of  tlie  lessons  which  their  his- 
tory suggested,  to  enlist  them,  with  more  earnest 
zeal,  in  the  service  of  their  own  and  their  fathers' 
Benefactor. 

In  the  departure  out  of  this  life,  but  a  few  months 
ago,  of  the  venerable  patriarch  whose  history,  labors 
and  character,  are  briefly  presented  to  the  reader  in 
the  following  pages,  the  voice  of  Providence  reite- 


8 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


rated  to  the  Christian  communion  of  which  he  was  a 
minister,  the  solemn  inquiry  of  the  ancient  prophet. 
Another  ot  tliose  living  links,  how  few  of  them  are 
yet  remaining !  which  bind  the  Church  in  her  pres- 
ent strength  and  prosperity  to  the  feeble  and  strug- 
gling Church  of  half  a  century  ago,  is  dissolved  and 
lies  mouldering  in  his  grave.  While  to  many,  doubt- 
less, the  intelligence  of  his  death  was  but  the  com- 
mon announcement  that  another  human  being  had 
finished  his  earthly  career,  and  had  entered  upon  his 
unchanging  destiny  in  the  world  of  spirits;  to  many 
others,  very  many,  clergymen  as  well  as  laymen, 
living  not  only  amid  the  scenes  of  his  former  minis- 
try, or  in  the  neighborhood  in  which  he  died,  but 
scattered  from  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  to  those  of 
the  Mississippi,  the  announcement  came  with  a 
magic  power  which  awakened  a  crowd  of  cherished 
recollections,  and  called  up  a  thousand  incidents  of 
years  gone  by. 

Living,  as  he  had  done,  for  nearly  half  a  centuiy, 
the  precise  period  was  forty-seven  years,  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  place  where  he  ended  his 
days,  and  mingling,  as  had  ever  been  his  habit, 
freely  and  with  the  most  genial  spirit  in  the  society 
around  him,  he  was  not  only  universally  known,  but 
universally  respected  and  beloved.  It  was  natu- 
ral, therefore,  that  his  death  should  produce  a  deep 


KEV.  PETER  LABAGH,  D.D. 


9 


I 


impression  upon  the  public  mind,  and  that  his  spir- 
itual children,  many  of  whom  are  in  the  special  ser- 
vice of  the  Church  as  the  result  of  Ids  pas-toral  influ- 
ence, should  mourn  his  loss  as  that  of  a  venerated 
father  in  Christ. 

"With  regard  to  his  parentage  our  means  of  infor- 
nuition  are  far  from  being  ample.  Indeed,  they  are 
quite  the  reverse.  But,  little  as  we  know,  it  is  enough 
to  convince  us,  beyond  a  doubt,  that  the  humble 
piety  and  the  unfaltering  devotion  to  truth  and 
duty,  which  characterized  his  life,  were  the  happy 
result,  under  the  divine  blessing,  (►f  parental  teach- 
ings, examples  and  prayers.  In  him,  if  ever,  did  a 
gracious  providence  fulfill  the  assurance  of  inspi- 
ration that  "  the  mercv  of  the  D)rd  is"  from  ever- 
lasting  to  everlasting  upon  them  that  fear  him,  and 
his  righteousness  unto  children's  children  ;  to  such  as 
keep  his  covenant  and  to  those  tliat  remember  his 
commandments  to  do  them." 

Among  the  papers  of  Dr.  Labagh  there  were  found, 
after  his  death,  a  number  of  letters  in  the  Dutch 
language,  which  were  written  to  him  by  his  mother, 
within  a  few  years  after  his  entrance  into  the  minis- 
try, and  which  he  had  carefully  preserved,  for  more 
than  half  a  century,  as  a  sacrtnl  memorial  of  one 
whom  he  so  deeply  loved  and  revered.     A  few  of 


# 


these  the  Rev.  Mr.  Liihkert,  pastor  of  tlie  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  Church,  at  Rhinebeck,  New  York,  has 
kindly  rendeied  into  English,  and  from  them  the  fol- 
lowing are  selected  as  indicative  of  the  spirit  of  their 
author. 

The  first,  bearing  date  September  6,  1798,  was 
evidentlv  written  on  the  occasion  of  some  national 
calamity,  or  some  more  local  or  private  affliction. 
Whatever  it  may  have  been,  the  writer  beheld  in  it 
the  hand  of  Ilim  whose  way  is  perfect,  and  who 
doetli  all  things  welL 

"Hackensack,  September  6,  1798. 

"Mucu  Beloved  Son:  I  have  but  little  time  to 
write  to  you  ;  nevertheless  I  cannot  but  let  you  know 
something  about  the  great  goodness  of  the  Lord  to  us 
and  GUI'S,  inasmuch  as  we  are  yet  enjoying  good 
health,  and  are  still  in  the  land  of  the  living,  while 
so  many  have  been  cut  down  at  our  right  hand  and 
our  left.  Oh,  the  hand  of  a  righteous  God  is  stretched 
out  over  us,  and  that  we  yet  remain  so  hardened  is  a 
judgment  in  the  midst  of  judgment.  (Dutch:  een 
oordeel  in  het  oordeel).     But  the  eye  of  the  great 

Samaritan  has  been  cast  upon  us Can  our  souls 

be  cured  through  the  sufferings  of  the  body  ?  All 
liealth  must  come  from  Him.  We  abide  under  the 
shadow  of  His  wings.     The   ninety-first  Psalm  lias 


i 


\ 


been  my  comfort.     The  Lord  governs  and  directs. 

We  are  all  in  the  hand  of  God 

"  Your  loving  mother, 

"  Judith  Labagh,' ' 

The  other  letter,  of  January  3, 1800,  seems  to  have 
been  written  with  the  design  of  giving  some  New 
Year's  counsels  to  her  son,  and  breathes  a  far  more 
earnest  desire  that  he  might  be  distinguished  for  his 
faithfulness  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  than  for  the  at- 
tainment of  reputation  or  worldly  gain. 

"Hackensack,  January  3,  1800. 

"  Much  Beloved  Son  :  I  take  this  opportunity  of 
writing  to  you  a  few  lines.  We  have  suffered  some- 
what from  the  cold,  but  are  now,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  in  comfortable  health.  Your  father  has  been 
to  the  city,  and  our  friends  there  are  all  in  good 
health 

*'Tlie  Lord  has  spared  us  again  to  the  beginning  of 
another  year.  Oh,  that  this  might  be  a  new  year  for 
the  souls  of  us  all  I  That  w^e  might  put  off  and  cru- 
cify the  old  man,  and  if  he  be  not  yet  within  us,-  put 
on  the  new  man  !  May  he  grow  in  order  that  Christ 
may  be  all,  and  may  we  have  no  greater  sorrow  than 
that  on  account  of  our  sins.  May  the  glorious  Sa- 
viour himself  be  formed  within  us. 

"  In  respect  to  myself,  I  find  a  hope  within  me, 


12 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


strong,  I  trust,  as  an  anchor  In  a  storm ;  sometimes 
strong,  and  tlien  again  weak.  ^Iv  beloved  son,  may 
you  receive  tlie  best  gift;  be  ever  near  tlie  throne  in 
prayer,  that  you  may  possess  that  blessing  Avhich  the 
Lord  himself  will  bestow.  Be  careful,  lest  you  be- 
come a  hireling,  as  is  the  case  w^ith  such  numbers  in 
the  universal  sheepfold,  where  there  are  many  hire- 
lings who  seek  the  sheep  for  their  lleece,  but  not  in 
order  to  draw  them  out  of  the  pit  of  perdition. 

"As  we  have  the  word  of  truth,  so  mav  we  have  it 
within  us,  that  we  mav  be  acceptable  before  a  holy 
God,  and  then  shall  it  appear  that  we  have  indeed 

received  the  new  heart 

"Your  loving  mother, 

"  JumTH  Labagh." 

How  elevatinii:  in  their  tendency,  and  how  decisive 
in  their  moulding  power,  were  the  influences  under 
which  he  grew  up  from  infancy  to  youth  and  man- 
hood, and  under  which,  indeed,  he  lived  through  all 
his  after  years,  we  can  be  at  no  loss  to  imagine.  The 
character  and  life  of  the  mother  account  at  once  for 
the  character  and  life  of  the  son.  She  died  in  Octo- 
ber, 1803,  and  in  the  summer  of  the  year  tbllowiuf' 
there  appeared  in  "The  Christian  Monitor,''  a  re- 
ligious periodical  published  in  the  city  of  Xew  York, 
an  article  from  the  pen  of  Peter  Wilson,  LL.D.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Ancient  Languages  in  Columbia  College,  in 


Li 


f 


i' 


H  ^ 


t 


I 


KEV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


13 


which  the  writer  gave  a  sketch  of  her  history,  which 
though  brief  is  interesting  and  suggestive.  It  is  as 
follow^s : 

"Judith  Labagh,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Amsterdam,  in  1738.  Her  lather 
w\ns  a  Protestant  Pefugee  who  had  retired  from 
France,  and  settled  in  Holland,  where  he  married,  and 
whence,  in  the  year  1750  he  removed  to  New  York, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  daughter  Judith,  then 
about  twelve  years  of  age.  On  the  decease  of  her 
husband,  which  ha[)pened  in  England  about  two 
years  after  his  settlement  in  America,  the  widow 
Avith  her  daughter  revisited  Holland,  and  passed  over 
from  thence  into  Eno-land  ;  but  soon  returned  to  Xew 
York,  where  she  supported  herself  and  daughter  for 
several  years,  by  teaching  children  the  elements  of 
the  Low  Dutch  Language.  The  mother  was  a  hum- 
ble and  exemplary  Christian,  well  known  in  this  city, 
and  like  Mary,  placed  her  delight  in  sitting  at  Jesus' 
feet,  and  implanting  the  seeds  of  divine  knowlege  in 
the  heart  of  her  daughter,  and  her  other  pupils.  The 
daughter,  a  sketch  of  whose  character  we  have  pro- 
posed to  give,  amply  repaid  the  labours  of  her  pious 
mother,  and  atforded  an  eminent  illustration  of  Solo- 
mon's declaration,  '  Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he 
should  go,  and  when  he  is  old,  he  will  not  depart 
from  it.' 


!    t 


"About  seventeen  years  of  age,  hy  the  power  of 
divine  grace,  slie  became  deeply  convinced  of  the 
depravity  of  her  heart,  of  her  sinfiihiess  against  God, 
and  of  the  necessity  of  fleeing  to  the  Lord  Jesus  as 
tlie  only  refuge  of  perishing  sinners,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  her  days  in  endeavouring  to  adorn  the 
doctrines  of  her  Saviour  God. 

•'  When  about  twenty-four  years  of  age,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Isaac  Labagh,  in  New  York, 
who  is  still  living.*  In  this  connection  for  ten  or 
twelve  years,  she  enjoyed  a  very  moderate  compe- 
tency of  the  good  things  of  this  life;  but  she  was 
content.  Tlie  experience  of  divine  love  in  the  soul 
will  at  all  times  give  a  relish  to  the  most  scanty  por- 
tion. At  this  period  she  seemed  to  have  a  presenti- 
ment of  the  embarrassments  and  privations  of  her 
future  life,  for  she  obliged  her  children,  when  at 
school,  to  take  their  seats  on  the  benches  appropriated 
to  the  poor  scholars,  supported  by  tlie  Dutch  Church, 
and  who  attended  the  same  teacher.  This  conduct 
has  induced  the  belief,  that  she  foresaw  the  straits 
to  which  she  was  afterwards  to  be  reduced,  and 
wished  to  prepare  her  offspring  for  the  station  they 
were  likely  to  occupy  in  the  world ;  but  most  proba- 
bly her  views  were  more  extensive.  She  knew  that 
sympathy  and  compassion  were  not  only  Christian 

•  1804. 


i  ! 


I': 


a 


<> 


4 


M 


duties  necessary  to  be  instilled  into  the  youthful 
mind,  and  that  by  their  exercise  the  pressure  of  mis- 
fortune is  greatly  alleviated  to  the  sufferer ;  she  knew 
also,  that  the  distinctions  of  civil  life  reach  not  beyond 
the  grave ;  that  the  Sovereign  of  heaven  and  earth 
regards  not  the  outward  appearance,  but  looks  at  the 
heart  only ;  and  she  meant,  by  her  conduct,  early  to 
inculcate  these  truths  into  the  minds  of  her  children. 
"Whatever  may  have  been  her  views,  the  Lord,  to 
whom  she  had  dedicated  herself  and  her  little  family, 
graciously  disappointed  her  fears.  For  '  The  Lord's 
thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts,  nor  his  ways  like 
the  ways  of  men.' 

"  At  the  commencement  of  the  war,  the  family  re- 
moved  to  Hackensack,  in  [N'ew  Jersey,  where  she 
resided  until  her  death.  During  this  2>eriod,  and  es- 
pecially, while  the  w^ar  lasted,  she  could  derive  little 
assistance  from  the  labor  of  her  husband,  who  was 
destitute  of  employment;  and  she  was  often  compelled 
to  procure  a  scanty  subsistence,  to  w^hich  her  own 
exertions  were  sometimes  inadequate,  by  the  sale  of 
her  clothes  and  moveables  at  an  undervalue. 

"  The  object,  which,  of  all  worldly  concerns  lay 
nearest  her  heart,  w^as  the  education  of  her  children  : 
and  the  Lord  disposed  a  friend  who  saw  and  revered 
her  character,  to  provide  for  this  object,  and  to  car- 
ry it  far  beyond  her  original  expectations. 


16 


MEMOIR    OF   THE 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


17 


t  ! 


I  i 


'*  During  her  afflictions,  and  distresses,  "wliicli  were 
many  and  various,  both  corporal  and  mental,  she  was 
unremitting  in  the  pertbrnumce  of  the  social  and 
relative  duties  of  life,  and  havinfr  a  single  eve  to  the 
glory  of  her  Redeemer  and  her  God,  she  maintained 
the  even  tenor  of  her  way  to  the  end. 

''The  instruction  of  her  children,  in  the  truths  of  the 
Gospel,  she  deemed  a  matter  of  primary  importance  ; 
and  daily,  about  an  hour  after  noon,  she  approached 
the  throne  of  grace  with  them,  to  plead  on  their 
behalf. 

"She  corresponded  with  many  pious  friends, and  her 
lettei*s  attested  the  humble  resignation  of  her  soul, 
and  the  ample  consolation  religion  afforded  her. 

"  One  morning,  after  returning  from  her  devotions, 
she  told  a  friend,  that  one  of  her  correspondents, 
whom  she  aftectionately  loved,  and  whose  usual  place 
«'f  residence  was  thirtv-six  miles  distant,  was  no 
more.  This  she  concluded  from  having  repeatedly 
attempted  in  vain,  to  pour  out  her  heart  in  prayer  on 
behalf  of  that  friend.  This  occurred  on  Sabbath 
morning:  and  it  afterwards  appeared,  that  her  friend 
had  died  the  evening  before.  Thus  is  '  the  secret  of 
the  Lord  (even  sometimes  in  this  peculiar  sense)  with 
those  tiuit  fear  him,'  when  the  Master  designs,  by  an 
intimation  of  His  will,  to  prevent  his  faithful  follow-, 
ers  from  falling  into  evil,  or  means  thereby  to  sub- 


1  : 


r 


serve  the  purposes  of  His  providence  or  grace,  in  a 
manner  conformable  to  His  own  written  word. 

"  She  was  naturally  irritable  ;  but  grace  had  subdu- 
ed the  asperities  of  her  nature  to  the  meekness  of  the 
lamb.  She  was  a  pattern  of  humility  and  benevo- 
lence, which  were  doubtless  increased  and  strength- 
ened by  a  life  of  dependence  on,  and  nearness  to 
God,  as  well  as  bv  the  influence  of  external  circum- 
stances.  She  was  unwearied  in  well-doing ;  she  lived 
by  faith  and  not  by  sight ;  and  her  associates  were 
the  salt  of  the  earth.  In  her  demeanor,  she  was  sin- 
gularly modest  and  unassuming ;  but  was  an  earnest 
contender  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints, 
even  at  the  hazard  of  her  temporal  interests ;  disdain- 
ing to  yield  an  iota  of  truth  for  the  gratification  of 
her  best  friends. 

"Her  conversation  was  always  savory,  and  she 
never  failed,  when  circumstances  would  permit,  to 
lead  to  subjects  of  practical  piety,  and  to  convert 
every  occurrence  into  a  means,  or  motive,  for  ameli- 
oration of  the  heart  and  life. 

"Hedeeming  love  was  the  constant  theme  of  her 
soul,  and  she  strove  to  promote  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
whenever  opportunity  offered. 

"  After  suffering  six  weeks  under  a  dropsical  affec- 
tion, without  lisping  a  single  murmuring  word,  or 
betraying  the  slightest  symptom  of  impatience,  she 


18 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


fell  asleep  on  the  bosom  of  her  Eedeemer  on  Sabbath 
morning,  October  16th,  1803,  in  the  sixty -fifth  year 
of  her  age;  having  several  clays  before,  with  as  much 
composure  as  if  she  had  been  going  a  journey  on 
earth,  given  directions  respecting  her  temporal  af- 
fairs. 

"  Thus  did  she  recommend  the  principles  and  prac- 
tice of  piety  in  her  life  and  in  her  death :  for  in  all 
her  conduct,  she  eminently  displayed  the  power  of 
divine  grace ;  but 

—  'Her  light 
Shone  brighteit  in  affliction's  night/  " 

For  such  a  mother  he  might  well  be  grateful. 
That  he  was  grateful,  his  life  abundantly  proved. 
Her  memory  he  ever  cherished  with  the  deepest 
reverence  and  afi^ection,  and  in  his  old  age  often 
spoke  of  her  with  a  tenderness  which  indicated  be- 
yond all  mistake,  the  indelible  impressions  of  his 
early  years.  In  his  family  register,  which,  by  a  pe- 
culiar selection,  he  kept  on  a  blank  leaf  of  Calv^in's 
Institutes,  printed  in  Dutch,  at  Amsterdam,  in  1650, 
he  recorded  her  death  in  the  following  words : 

"On  the  sixteenth  of  October,  1803,  my  dear 
mother,  Judith  Labagh,  departed  this  life,  aged  sixt}'- 
four  years.  She  was  a  tender  and  affectionate  parent, 
and  for  nearly  forty  years  a  true  follower  of  Christ. 


/ 


Her  walk  and  conversation  were  profitable  to  many. 
In  her  last  moments  she  evinced  that  Christian  resig- 
nation, enjoyed  that  inward  peace,  and  expressed 
those  soul-reviving  hopes,  which  are  the  general  con- 
sequence of  a  life  long  devoted  to  piety.  May  her 
children,  from  her  example,  learn  how  to  live,  and 
how  to  die !" 


\'l 


CHAPTEK   II. 

Birth  —  Removal  of  his  Parents  to  Hackensack  —  Commences  tue 
Study  of  Latin  —  Goes  to  Brooklyn  and  engages  in  Business  — 
Leaves  ms  Business  and  returns  to  Hackensack  —  Enters  upon 
a  course  of  Study  —  Text  Books  —  Goes  to  Erasmus  Hall, 
Flatbush  —  Note:  Dr.  Wilson  —  Religious  Experience  —  Makes 
A  Profession  of  Religion  —  Studies  Theology  with  Dr.  Froe- 
ligh  —  Accepts  a  Mission  to  Kentucky  —  Completes  his  Studies 
under  Dr.  Livingston  —  Latin  Certificate  —  Translation. 

The  Eev.  Peter  Labagh,  D.D.,  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  was  born  November  10,  1773,  in  Beaver 
street,  in  the  city  of  jS'ew  York.  The  liouse  in  which 
his  parents  lived,  with  hundreds  of  others  which 
were  tlien  standing,  and  occupied  as  private  resi- 
dences, in  that  part  of  the  city,  disappeared  many 
years  ago,  to  make  room  for  stores  and  warehouses, 
which  in  their  turn  gave  phice  to  others  still  larger, 
as  the  necessities  of  business  increased.  At  the  open- 
ing of  the  Revolution,  as  we  have  already  seen,  his 
father,  taking  his  family  with  him,  left  New  York  at 


the  approach  of  the  Biitish,  and  sought  a  refuge  at 
Hackensack,  Kew  Jersey.  At  this  place  Peter's 
grandfather  had  formerly  resided,  and  here  also,  in 
the  year  1732,  his  father  was  born.  While  at  Hack- 
ensack,  where  he  seems  to  have  spent  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  early  years,  he  commenced  the  study 
of  Latin  under  the  private  tuition  of  Mr.  William 
Kuypers,  who  was  at  the  time  a  student  in  the  clas- 
sical school  in  that  place. 

His  efforts  in  this  direction,  however,  were  not 
long  continued.  Circumstances  arose  which  seemed 
to  render  it  expedient  that  he  should  prepare  himself 
for  an  active  secular  occupation.  He  accordingly 
left  Hackensack,  and  went  to  Brooklyn,  Long  Island, 
where  he  prosecuted,  but  with  little  interest,  the 
business  that  Iiad  been  selected  for  him,  until  an  op- 
portunity presented  itself  to  engage  in  an  employ- 
ment more  congenial  to  his  tastes.  At  the  instance 
of  his  elder  brother  Isaac,  who  was  already  in  the 
ministry  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  he  threw 
up  his  business  in  Brooklyn,  and  returned  to  Hack- 
ensack, where  he  entered  upon  a  course  of  study 
under  that  excellent  and  successful  teacher,  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Miller.*  The  late  Rev.  Professor  Cannon, 

*  There  is  lying  before  the  writer  "  A  Concise  Graonnar  of  th« 
Englinh  Language ;  with  an  Appendix  chiefly  extracted  from  Dr. 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


23 


of  New  Brunswick,  was  his  fellow  student,  and  sub- 
sequently became  his  ministerial  neighbor  as  well 
as  his  intimate  and  life-long  friend. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  those  w^ho  have  since 
passed  through  the  curriculum  of  a  liberal  education, 
to  know  what  were  some  of  the  text  books  then  in 
use  in  the  classical  department  of  study  at  Hacken- 
sack. In  Latin,  they  were  the  following,  taken  up 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  stated :  Corderii, 
Selectee  e  Veteri  Testamento,  Eutropius,  Cornelius 
Xepos,  Ceesar^  Sallust,  Virgil,  Ovid,  Cicero,  and 
Horace.  In  Greek,  they  were  the  Greek  Testament, 
Lucian's  Dialogues,  Xenophon's  Anabasis  and  Me- 
morabilia, Demosthenes  de  Corona,  and  Homer's 
Odyssey  and  Iliad. 

Watts'  Logic>  and  Blaii-'s  Rhetoric,  the  latter  of 
which  had  then  but  recently  come  into  use  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic,  having  been  published  in  Edin- 
burgh, in  1783,  were  also  text  books  in  their  respec- 
tive departments.  The  students  in  the  Latin  and 
Greek  departments  were  all  formed  into  an  English 
spelling  class  every  Saturday,  and  each  one  in  his 
turn  proposed  some  word  to  be  spelled.     In  English 

Lowth's  Critiaal  Notes.     By  Alexander  Miller,  A.  M.     New  York : 
Printed  by  T.  A  J.  Swords,  No.  99  Pearl  Street,  1795."   It  is  a  vol- 
ume of  one  hundred  and  nineteen  pages,  and  does  honor  to  the  au 
thor's  learning  and  judgment. 


24 


MEMOUi   OF  THE 


Grammar,  likewise,  tliey  were  all  exercised  regularly 

once  a  week. 

It  might  be  a  question  wlictlier  both  these  exer- 
cises could  not  be  introduced  to  advantage  into  our 
higher  schools  of  learning,  and,  perhaps,  even  into 
om-  colleges.  One  effect  at  least,  would  be,  to  blunt 
the  edgc^of  the  British  poet's  satire,  which  describes 
the  unfortunate  graduate  as  a  person 

"  Who,  scarcely  skilleil  an  English  line  to  pen, 
Scans  Attic  metres  with  a  critic's  ken." 

Peter  continued  without  interruption  to  prosecute 
his  studies,  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Miller,  from  Au- 
gust, 1790,  until  April,  1792.  He  then  went  to  Flat- 
bush,  Long  Island,  where  he  remained  for  nearly  two 
years,  in  the  double  capacity  of  scholar  and  assistant 
teacher.  He  enjoyed  during  all  that  time  the  in- 
structions of  Peter  Wilson,  LL.D.,  the  able  and 
pious  Principal  of  Erasmus  Hall.*    Here,  as  Dr. 

.  Dr  WiUon  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  emigrated  to  the 
British  Colonies  in  America  in  1763,  when  he  was  about  seventeen 
vears  of  age.     Although  he  was  not  a  clergyman,  he  was  fond  of 
I       'theological  studies,  with  which  his  acquaintance  was  both  accurate 
'       and  extensive.     His  interest  was  strongly  enlisted  in  the  cause  of 
I      the  Colonies  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  after  the  peace 
!       his  influence  and  efforts  were  freely  expended  in  support  of  the  re- 
ligious and  benevolent  institutions  wluch  had  their  center  m  the 
i       city  of  New  York.     Of  the  various  organizations  of  that  nature 


4 


I : 


Wilson  testifies,  "he  aj^plied  himself  veiy  industri- 
ously" to  his  studies,  and  made  such  proficiency  in 

which  were  there  fonned,  about  the  close  of  the  last  century  and 
the  beginning  of  the  present,  there  were  few,  if  any,  of  the  more 
prominent,  of  which  he  was  not  either  an  officer  or  a  member.  He 
died  on  the  first  day  of  August,  1825,  and  was  buried  in  the  grave- 
yard of  the  old  Dutch  Church  of  Hackensack.  On  the  horizontal 
slab  which  rests  upon  his  tomb  is  inscribed  the  following  epitaph: 

"In  memory  of  Peter  Wilson,  LL.D.,  who  was  born  in  the 
parish  of  Ordignhill,  in  the  shire  of  Bamff,  Scotland,  November 
23d,  1746,  and  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1763.  For  many  years 
he  was  the  efficient  and  successful  principal  of  the  academy  in  this 
place,  and  afterward  of  that  at  Flatbush,  Long  Island,  and  for 
twenty-six  years  officiated  as  Professor  of  Languages  in  Columbia 
College.  A  zealous  and  successful  patriot  and  Christian,  and  exem- 
plary in  all  the  public,  social,  and  doniestic  relations  which  he  sus- 
sustained,  he  closed  a  life  of  indefatigable  activity  and  constant 
usefulness,  on  the  1st  of  August,  1825,  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of 
his  age.  '  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord :  they  rest 
from  their  labors  and  their  works  do  follow  them.'" 

Of  Dr.  Wilson's  remarkable  attainments  and  ability  as  a  scholar 
and  teacher,  there  is  the  following  notice  in  the  Life  of  Alexander 
Proudfit,  D.D.,  father  of  Professor  Proudfit  of  Rutgers  College,  by 
John  Forsyth,  D.D.,  of  Newburgh,  N.  Y. : 

"From  Mr.  Watson's  school  Mr.  Proudfit  was  removed,  about 
the  year  1786,  to  an  academy  at  Hackensack,  N.  J.,  then  under 
the  care  of  that  eminent  classical  scholar  and  devoted  Christian,  the 
late  Dr.  Peter  Wilson.  Here  he  remained,  enjoying  the  best  edu- 
cational advantages  which  our  country  then  afforded,  until  March, 
1789,  when  he  entered  the  sophomore  class  of  Columbia  College] 
2 


lAi.  1     ,  « 


the  various  branches  of  a  liberal  education  as  to  call 
forth  the  wannest  commendation. 

It  was  about  the  time  of  his  return  from  Flat- 
bush,  in  1794,  that  Mr.  Labagh  made  a  profession  of 
religion.  He  was  received  into  the  communion  of 
the  Eeformed  Dutch  Ohurch  of  Hackensack,  then 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Solomon 
Froeligh.  Li  his  early  religious  history  there  were 
none  of  those  exhibitions  of  the  power  of  divine 
grace,  which,  as  in  the  case  of  Saul  of  Tarsus,  and  of 
hundreds  of  others  since,  indicate,  by  a  marked  and 
sudden  change  in  the  outer  as  well  as  in  the  inner 
life,  the  precise  day  or  hour  in  which  the  work  of  re- 
generation has  been  accomplished.  His  experience 
was  more  like  that  of  Timoth v.  "  From  a  child  he  knew 
the  Hol}^  Scriptures,  which  were  able  to  make  him 
wise  unto  salvation."  Their  truths  had  early  been 
instilled  into  his  mind.  He  had  been  taught  to  love 
them,  and  to  pray  habitually  to  their  great  and 
blessed  Author.  And  when,  by  the  power  ot  the 
Holy  Spirit,  his  heart  was  at  length  renewed,  and 

New  York.  Dr.  Wilson  was  about  the  same  time  called  to  occupy 
the  professorship  of  ancient  languages  in  that  college,  an  office 
which  he  filled  with  signal  benefit  to  the  institution  and  honor  to 
himself.  He  was  a  ripe  scholar,  and  to  him,  in  a  great  measure, 
may  be  ascribed  that  taste  for  classical  learning,  for  the  cultivation 
of  which  Columbia  College  has  long  been  distinguished." 


! 


1  I 


himself  translated  into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear 
Son,  so  gently  and  so  tenderly  that  he  became  aware 
of  the  process  only  by  its  effects,  it  might  have  been 
said  of  him,  as  truly  as  it  was  said  of  the  youthful 
friend  and  fellow  disciple  of  Paul  the  Apostle,  "  the 
unfeigned  faith  that  was  in  him,  dwelt  first  in  his 
grandmother  Lois,  and  his  mother  Eunice." 

He  had  long  enjoyed  the  peace  and  hope  of  the 
Cliristian,  and  had  lived  in  dailv  communion  witli 
his  Saviour,  but  for  some  reason  which  it  is  impossi- 
ble now  to  ascertain,  he  did  not  publicly  avow  himself 
a  disciple  of  Christ  until  after  the  middle  of  the  year 
1794-.  "What  the  reason  was,  it  may  easily  be  conjec- 
tured, but  for  any  thing  further  than  conjecture,  there 
is  no  authority  extant.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the 
delay  was  owing  to  the  unsettled  life,  which,  in  his 
peculiar  circumstances,  he  was  then  obliged  to  lead. 
During  the  interval  between  his  early  youth  and  his 
entrance  upon  tlie  study  of  theology,  he  is  found  suc- 
cessively Urst  at  Hackensack,  then  in  Brooklyn,  then 
again  at  Hackensack,  then  at  Flatbush,  tben,  for  the 
third  time,  at  Hackensack,  and  finallv  at  Schraalen- 
burgli.  Hackensack,  however,  was  the  home  of  his 
parents,  and  there,  in  due  time,  lie  was  led  by  the 
hand  of  the  good  Shepherd  to  seek  for  admission  into 
the  fold  of  the  Cliurch. 

After  leaving  Dr.  Wilson — which  he  did  in  June, 


26 


MEMOm   OF   THE 


the  various  branches  of  a  liberal  education  as  to  call 
forth  the  wannest  commendation. 

It  was  about  the  time  of  his  return  from  Flat- 
bush,  in  1794,  that  Mr.  Labagh  made  a  profession  of 
religion.  He  was  received  into  the  communion  of 
the  Eeformed  Dutch  Ohurch  of  Ilackensack,  then 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Solomon 
Froeligh.  In  his  early  religious  history  there  were 
none  of  those  exhibitions  of  the  power  of  divine 
grace,  which,  as  in  the  case  of  Saul  of  Tarsus,  and  of 
hundreds  of  others  since,  indicate,  by  a  marked  and 
sudden  change  in  the  outer  as  well  as  in  the  inner 
life,  the  precise  day  or  hour  in  whicli  the  work  of  re- 
generation has  been  accomplished.  His  experience 
was  more  like  that  of  Timothv.  "  From  a  child  he  knew 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  were  able  to  make  him 
wise  unto  salv^ation."  Their  truths  had  early  been 
instilled  into  his  mind.  He  had  been  taught  to  love 
them,  and  to  pray  habitually  to  their  great  and 
blessed  Author.  And  when,  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  his  heart  was  at  length  renewed,  and 

New  York.  Dr.  Wilson  was  about  the  same  time  called  to  occupy 
the  professorship  of  ancient  languages  in  that  college,  an  office 
which  he  filled  with  signal  benefit  to  the  institution  and  honor  to 
himself.  He  was  a  ripe  scholar,  and  to  him,  in  a  great  measure, 
may  be  ascribed  that  taste  for  classical  learning,  for  the  cultivation 
of  which  Columbia  College  has  long  been  distinguished." 


himself  translated  into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear 
Son,  so  gently  and  so  tenderly  that  he  became  aware 
of  the  process  only  by  its  effects,  it  might  have  been 
said  of  him,  as  truly  as  it  was  said  of  the  youthful 
friend  and  fellow  disciple  of  Paul  the  Apostle,  "  the 
unfeigned  faith  that  was  in  him,  dwelt  first  in  his 
grandmother  Lois,  and  his  mother  Eunice." 

He  had  long  enjoyed  the  peace  and  hope  of  the 
Christian,  and  had  lived  in  daily  communion  with 
his  Saviour,  but  for  some  reason  whicli  it  is  impossi- 
ble now  to  ascertain,  he  did  not  publicly  avow  himself 
a  disciple  of  Christ  until  after  the  middle  of  the  year 
1794.  "What  the  reason  was,  it  may  easily  be  conjec- 
tured, but  for  any  thing  further  than  conjecture,  there 
is  no  authority  extant.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the 
delay  was  owing  to  the  unsettled  life,  which,  in  his 
peculiar  circumstances,  he  was  then  obliged  to  lead. 
During  the  interval  between  liis  early  youth  and  his 
entrance  upon  the  study  of  theology,  he  is  found  suc- 
cessively lirst  at  Ilackensack,  then  in  Brooklyn,  then 
agjiin  at  Ilackensack,  then  at  Flatbush,  then,  for  the 
third  time,  at  Ilackensack,  and  finallv  at  Schraalen- 
burgli.  Ilackensack,  however,  was  the  home  of  his 
parents,  and  there,  in  due  time,  he  was  led  by  tlie 
hand  of  the  good  Shepherd  to  seek  for  admission  into 
the  fold  of  the  Church. 

After  leaving  Dr.  Wilson — which  he  did  in  June, 


li 


28 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 


179-1,  at  the  Doctor's  own  suggestion,  as  he  consider- 
ed his  h'terarv  attamments  abundantly  sufficient  to 
warrant  him  in  commencing  tlie  study  of  theology — 
and  ret  urn  in  or  to  Hackensack,  he  went  to  Schraalen- 
buro^h  *  Xew  Jersey,  and  entered  ui)on  his  tlieoloiji- 
eal  course  under  the  direction  of  the  Kev.  Solomon 
Froeligh,  D.D.,  who  was  then  what  was  called  a 
Lecturer  in  tliat  department.  The  office  of  Lecturer 
in  theoloofv  differed  from  tliat  of  Professor  in  the 
fact  that  the  former  was  authorized  only  to  give  in- 
struction, while  the  latter,  in  addition  to  this,  pos- 
sessed tlie  exchisive  power  of  granting  the  jirofessorial 
certilicate,  which  was  a  pre-requisite  to  examination 
for  licensure  by  the  Chissis.  Tlis  class  mates,  wliile 
study hig  at  Scliraalenburgh,  were  the  late  Rey.  Pro- 

*  To  the  reader  unacquainted  with  the  peculiar  ecclesiastical 
relations  of  Dr.  Froeligh,  it  may  seem  to  be  a  discrepancy  to  state 
that  Mr.  Labagh  was  received  into  the  communion  of  the  Church 
at  Hackentack,  then  under  Dr.  FroelicjKd  pastoral  care,  and  to  add 
in  immediate  connection  that  he  went,  in  the  same  year,  to  Scliraa- 
lenburgh, in  order  to  enjoy  Dr.  Froeligh's  instructions  in  theology. 
The  apparent  contradiction  is  explained  by  the  fact,  that,  a8  the 
villages  of  Hackensack  and  Scliraalenburgh  were  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  each  other,  the  two  churches,  located  in  those  villages 
respectively,  were  united  bj  a  collegiate  relation,  and  were  both 
served  by  one  and  the  same  pastor.  Dr.  Froeligh  had  his  resi- 
dence at  Schraalenburgh.  The  collegiate  relation  of  the  two  church- 
es continued  down  to  the  year  1833. 


fessor  Cannon,  and  the  late  Eev.  Garret  Mandeyille, 
of  Caroline,  Xew  York. 

After  pursning  his  tlieological  studies  at  this  place 
for  nearly  two  years,  and  while  apparently  intending 
to  remain  still  longer,  he  accepted  an  invitation  to 
visit  Xew  York  city  in  the  hope  of  meeting  his  broth- 
er, the  Eev.  Isaac  Labagh,  who  was  then  in  attendance 
at  the  session  of  Particular  Synod.  A  call  had  re- 
cently come  from  Kentucky  for  a  minister  of  the 
Eeformed  Dutch  Church  to  labor  among  the  emi- 
grants from  New  York  and  Xew  Jersey,  who  had 
formed  a  colony  in  that  State.  The  subject  was  al- 
ready under  consideration,  and  as  young  Mr.  Labagh 
possessed,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Synod,  qualifica- 
tions which  peculiarly  fitted  him  for  the  work,  he 
was  induced,  after  repeated  and  pressing  solicitations, 
to  undertake  the  mission.  Among  those  who  united 
in  the  effort  to  secure  his  services,  none  were  more 
earnest  than  the  Eev.  John  :^.  Abeel,  D.D.,  one  of 
the  pastors  of  the  Collegiate  Church,  whose  amiable 
Christian  character  caused  him  to  be  frequently 
spoken  of  among  his  brethren  as  "  the  beloved  dis- 
ciple John,"  and  whose  memory  is  still  cherished  in 
the  traditions  of  the  time,  and  in  the  recollection  of 
his  surviving  contemporaries.     He  died  in  1812. 

Having  accepted  the  mission,  Mr.  Labagh  went, 
by  direction  of  Synod,  to  Dr.   Livingston,  who,  al- 


30 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 


thongli  he  was  one  of  the  pastors  of  the  Collegiate 
Church  in  Xew  York  city,  as  well  as  professor  of 
theology,  then  resided  at  Bedford,  Long  Island,  at 
present  included  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of 
Brooklyn.  Knowing  already  something  of  Mr.  La- 
Lagh's  attainments,  and  the  urgency  of  the  demand 
for  his  services.  Dr.  Livingston  took  him  through  a 
short  course  of  theology,  and  after  furnishing  him 
with  the  requisite  certificate,  which  bears  date  at 
New  York,  July  7,  1796,  sent  him  to  the  Classis  of 
Hackensack  to  be  examined  with  a  view  to  licensure 
and  ordination. 

The  certificate,  as  it  contains  a  recital  of  a  few  cir- 
cumstances peculiar  to  the  case  of  Mr.  Labagh,  and 
a  reference  to  churches  newly  organized,  "  loiigeque 
ah  his  07ns  positis^^^  was  probably  somewhat  differ- 
ent in  form  from  the  certificate  usually  given.  It  is 
here  submitted  to  the  learned  reader  Uteratirnet  ver- 
hatiin^  and  for  the  satisfaction  of  those  who  do  not 
understand  the  Latin,  is  accompanied  with  a  transla- 
tion : 

"  Lectoribus  benevolis,  presertim  Ecclesiarum 
Americano-Belgicarum  Classi  llackensackensi  plu- 
rimum  reverendse,  salus  in  Christo  Domino  sempi- 

terna  esto ! 

"  QcuM  vir  juvenis  ornatissimus  Dom.  Petrus 
Labagh,  S  :  S  :  Theol:  studiosus,  in  procinctu  stet,  ut 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,   D.D. 


31 


examini  venerandae    Classis  sistat,   ad   ambiendam 
libertatcm  concionandi  Evangelii  salutis,  earn  que  ob 
rem   publicum   a  me  Testimonium  petierit:   Literis 
hisce  siglUatis,  pro  oflicio,  certum  facio:  memoratum 
luince  Juvenein  scriptum  milii  specimen  exhibuisse 
de  studiis  suis  theologicis,  sub  cura  eruditissimi  viri 
D:  Solomonis  Froeligli  in  Ecclesia  Neo-Barbadana 
&c.,  antistitis  reverendi,  summa  cum  diligentia  ac 
feliciter  peractis.     Attestor  itidem,  eum  sese  porro 
meae  quoque  institutioni  commisisse,  et  per  duarura 
mensium  spatium,  attenta  mente  summaque  modes- 
tia  studiis  invigilasse,  atque  in  plurimis  priv^atis  ex- 
aminibus,  hand   pauca  suorum  progressuum   signa 
inihi  dedisse,  ut  spes  sit  ilium  tavente  Deo,  idoneura 
fore  ad  fungendum  munus  ecclesiasticum  cum  fructu 
in  regno  mediatoris  nostri  Jesu  Christi.     Quocirca 
hunc  Juvenem  plur:  Rev'd:  Classi  commendatum 
velim.     Supremum  interim  [N'umen  supplex  veneror 
veiit  quam  multos  suscitare,  qui  ex  pio  animi  pro- 
posito,  sacro  sese  muneri  consecrant,  totiusque  vitse 
tenore  certissimam  Ecclesia?  aedificationem  pollicen- 
tur,  eosque  gratiae  suae  doTiis  multifariis  in  dies  in- 
struere !     Dcum  T.  O.  M.  denique  enixe  precor,  nt 
spiritus  sui  Numine  magis  magisque  huic  viro  adesse, 
eumque  Ecclesiis  novissime  formatis,  longeque  ab 
his   oris  positis,  fidum   prosperumque  seruum   con- 
stituere   atquo   conservare   velit,  ac  denique  spera, 


Ji 


liaud  leviter   de   eo   conceptam,  ratam   liabeat,  ju- 
beatqiie. 

''  Dabam  Neo-EboracI  ad  diem  7,  Jiilii,  ITOG. 

^'J.  H.  Livingston,  [l.l.s.] 
^^SiTheol:  Professor." 

Tlicre  is  no  friend  of  the  Eefornied  Dutch  Church, 
or  of  any  Church  of  our  blessed  Lord,  who  will  not 
feel  disposed  to  join  most  heartily  in  the  prayer  of 
the  venerable  Professor,  which  he  has,  with  so  much 
unction,  expressed  above:  '^Supremnm  interim  Xu- 
men  supplex  veneror  velir  quam  multos  suscitare, 
qui  ex  pio  animi  proposito,  sacro  sese  muneri  conse- 
crant,  totiusque  vitae  tenore  certissimam  Ecclesiae 
aediiicationem  pollicentur,  eosque  gratiae  suae  donia 
multifariis  in  dies  instruere!" 

Tlie  following  is  a  translation  of  the  certificate: 

To  the  friendly  readers,  especially  of  the  American 
Dutch  Churches  of  the  very  reverend  Classis  of 
Hackensack,  let  there  be  salvation  eternal  in  Christ 
the  Lord ! 

Forasmuch  as  the  very  accomplished  young  man, 
Master  Peter  Labagh,  a  student  of  Sacred  Theology, 
mav  now  stand  waitincr.  in  a  state  of  preparation,  to 
the  end  that  he  may  appear,  to  be  exauiined  by  the 
venerable  Classis  for  the  desired  license  to  preach 
the  Gospel  of  salvation,  and  on   this  account  may 


1 1 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


33 


have  souglit  from  me  a  public  Testimonial:  By 
these  sealed  letters  I  do  therefore  certify :  that  this 
young  man,  above  mentioned,  has  exhibited  to  me 
writteu  evidence  concerniuo:  Iiis  theoloirical  studies, 
under  the  care  of  that  verv  learned  man.  Master 
Solomon  Froeligh,  a  reverend  bishop  of  the  Church 
in  XewBarbadoeSy'^etc,  with  the  greatest  diligence, 
and  now  happily  completed.  I,  in  like  manner,  tes- 
tily that  he  afterwards  committed  himself  to  my  in- 
struction also,  and  tlirv>ugh  the  space  of  two  months, 
with  attentive  mind,  and  the  utmost  propriety  of 
behavior,  devoted  himself  to  the  prosecution  of  his 
studies,  and  in  many  private  examinations  gave  me 
not  a  few  proofs  of  their  advances ;  so  that  there  is 
reason  to  hope  that,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  he  will 
be  well  qualified  to  discharge  the  ecclesiastical  func- 
tion w^ith  fruitfulness  in  the  kincrdom  of  our  Media- 
tor  Jesus  Christ.  Wherefore,  I  desire  this  young 
man  to  be  commended  to  the  very  reverend  Classis. 
In  the  meantime,  as  a  suppliant,  do  I  pray  that  the 
Supreme  Divinity  may  please  to  raise  up  very  many 
who,  out  of  a  pious  intention  of  mind,  shall  conse- 
crate  themselves  to  the  sacred   office,  and  by  the 

*  The  village  of  Hackensack  was  situated  in  a  township  which 
then  bore,  as  it  does  now,  the  name  of  New  Barbadoes.  Hence  Dr. 
Froeligh  is  spoken  of  as  "  a  reverend  bishop  of  the  Church  in  New 
Barbadoes." 

2* 


34: 


MEMOIR. 


quality  of  their  whole  lives  sluiU  give  promise  of  the 
most  certain  edification  of  the  Church,  and  also  to 
furnish  them  daily  with  the  various  gifts  of  his 
grace !  In  a  word,  I  earnestly  beseech  God,  the  best 
and  mightiest  Defender,  that  by  the  Divinity  of  his 
Spirit,  he  may  please  to  be  present  to  this  young 
man  more  and  more,  and  in  the  Churches  latelv 
formed,  and  located  far  from  these  sliores,  to  estab- 
lish and  preserve  him  faithful,  prosperous  and  long, 
and  finally,  that  he  may  purpose  and  command  to 
be  fulfilled  the  hope  not  lightly  entertained  in  regard 
to  him. 

Given  at  New  York,  on  the  7th  day  of  July,  1706. 

J.  II.  Livingston, 
Professor  of  Sacred  Theology, 


CHAPTEE    III. 


GRATiFiCATroN  WITH  Dr.  Livingston's  MExrioD  OF  Teaching  —  Li- 
censure AND  Ordination  —  Certificats  commending  him  to  the 
People  in  Kentucky  —  Incident:  A  Christian  Mother  —  Of- 
fers HIMSELF  to  go  ON  A  MISSIONARY  EXPLORING  ToUR  TO  WEST- 
ERN New  York  —  Efforts  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  to 
PLANT  the  Gospel  among  the  Aborigines  and  Early  Settlers  in 
America —  Difficulties  —  Megapolensis  —  Eliot  —  Extract  from 
Cotton  Mather  —  Mr.  Labagh  starts  on  his  Exploring  Tour  — 
Reformed  Dutch  Churches  in  Canada  — Letter  of  Rev.  Robert 

McDoWALL  IN   regard    TO   THEM Sf)ME    AcCOUNT    OF  THEIR    HIS- 
TORY. 

Mr.  Labagh  was  greatly  pleased  with  Dr.  Living- 
ston's method  of  teaching,  and  frequently  expressed, 
in  subsequent  years,  the  gratification  it  afforded  him 
to  have  enjoyed  the  instructions  of  that  eminent  ser- 
vant of  Christ."'^     If,  at  the  time,  he  could  have  had 

*  It  will  indicate  the  high  sense  entertained,  not  only  in  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,  but  also  in  other  denominations,  of  Dr. 
Livingston's  services,  as  a  professor  of  theology,  to  state  that  the 
Synod  of  th«  Associate  Reformed  Church,  in  1786,  "  earnestly  recom- 
mended to  young  men  who  may  have  a  view  of  entering  into  the 


36 


MEMOIR   OF   tup: 


his  own  clioico  in  regard  to  the  matter,  he  wouUl 
have  remained  with  him  lono:er,  but  as  tlie  Doctor 
thought  tliere  was  no  necessiry  for  it,  lie  acquiesced 
in  his  decision,  and  in  a  tew  days  presented  himself 
before  the  Classis  of  Ilackensack,  wliich  held  its 
meeting  in  the  village  of  Ilackensack,  and  which 
there  examined  and  licensed  him  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel. On  the  twenty-lirst  of  the  same  month,  inst  two 
weeks  from  the  dav  on  which  he  received  his  profes- 
sorial certiticate  from  Dr.  Livingston,  he  was  solemnly 
set  apai't  at  Tappan,  Xew  York,  to  the  work  of  the 
Ministry,  by  a  Committee  of  Ordination.  The  com- 
mittee consisted  of  the  RevMs.  Solomon  Froeliirh, 
D.D.,  George  G.  Brinkerholf,  and  Nicholas  Lansing. 
As  it  was  cnsromary  at  that  time  for  one  minister, 
who  was  designated  for  the  pnrpose,  to  conduct  the 
entire  service  on  snch  occasions,  the  prayers  were 
offered,  and  the  sermrni  and  charge  delivered,  accord- 
ing to  a  previous  appointment,  by  his  former  in- 
structor, the  Eev.  Solomon  P'roeligh,  D.D.  As  the 
certificate  of  the  Committee  of  Ordination  may  be  of 
interest  to  some  of  our  readers,  both  on  account  of 

holy  ministry,  to  procure  from  their  teachers  proper  testimonials  of 
their  acquaiutunce  with  human  literature,  and  that  they  attend  the 
lectures  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Livingston,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the 
Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church  at  New  York,  at  least  one 
year:*— MSS.  Records,  1, 44,  quoted  in  Dr.  ForsytKa  Life  of  Proudfit. 


fl 


its  connection  with  Dr.  Labagh,  and  its  reference  to 
the  early  enterprises  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church 
in  Kentucky,  it  is  here  given  entire.  It  will  be 
seen,  in  the  direction  at  the  head,  that  the  call  from 
Kentucky  was  addressed  to  the  CUissis  of  New 
Brunswick. 

"To  the  people  of  Salt  River,  Mercer  County,  and 
State  of  Kentucky,  who  have  addressed  a  Call  for  a 
Minister  to  the  Reverend  Classis  of  Xew  Brunswick: 
and  to  all  to  whom  these  presents  may  come.  Greet- 
ing: 

"Be  it  known,  that,  in  compliance  with  an  ap- 
pointment of  the  Particular  Synod  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church  in  America,  to  whom  the  Call  was 
presented  by  said  Classis,  the  Rev.  Peter  Labagh 
was,  on  the  21st  July,  1796,  by  a  Committee  of  Ordi- 
nation from  the  Classis  of  Ilackensack,  duly  and 
legally  ordained  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church,  and  as  a  Missionary  to  our 
brethren  in  Kentuckv,  after  havino:  passed  throuo-h  a 
course  of  trial  before  said  Classis  with  eclat,  and  to 
the  full  satisfaction  of  all  the  members ;  by  the  same 
order  the  Call  from  Salt  River  was  put  into  his  hands. 
Mr.  Labagh,  having  been  chiefly  educated  within  the 
bounds  of  the  aforesaid  Classis  of  Hackensack,  is 
known  to  the  generality  of  its  members.     He  is  a 


38 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


young  divine  of  good  erudition,  well  versed  in  the 
doctrines  of  grace,  of  strict  luorality  and  exemplary 
piety,  one  who,  we  trust,  has  wholly  devoted  himself 
to  God,  in  whose  abilities  the  Particular  Synod  and 
the  Classis  confide,  as  calculated  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel to  our  brethi-en  in  the  distant  region  of  Kentucky. 
That  the  Lord   may  prosper  l)isway;  that  he  may 
protect  him  froin  all  harm  on  his  journey,  and  brinir 
him  in  safety  to  the  people  of  his  mission;  that  when 
actually  engaged  in  the  execution  of  his  sacred  office 
his  labors  may  be  abundantly  blessed;  that  he  may 
be  a  happy  instrument  of  converting  many  to  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  promoting  the  important  interests 
of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  ;  that  he  may  be  success- 
ful in  gathering  together  our  scattered  brethren  in 
that  country,  and  building  them  up  in  our  most  holy 
faith,  and  by  his  faithful  exertions  ''  the  wilderness 
and  solitary  places  may  be  glad,  that  the  desert  may 
rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose;"  is  the  fervent  and 
sincere  prayer  of  the  Committee  of  Ordination. 

Solomon  Feoeugh,  V.  D.  M.,  TkeoL  Lector. 
George  G.  Brinkerhoff,  Y.  D.  M. 
-N^iciiOLAs  Lansing,  V.  D.  M. 

"Given  at  Tappan,  this  21st  day  of  July,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  1796." 


fi 


On  communicating  to  his  mother  his  intention  to 
undertake  the  mission  to  Kentucky,  she  was  quite 
overcome  by  her  emotions,  and  for  a  while  could 
give  expression  to  them  only  in  tears.  Kentucky 
was  at  that  time  regarded  as  a  far  distant  region, 
and  the  journey  thither,  which  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  perform  mainly  on  horseback,  was  attended 
with  an  amount  of  toil  and  exposure,  which,  with 
our  present  facilities  of  travel,  we  are  scarcely  able 
to  appreciate.  But  she  was  a  devoted  child  of  God, 
as  well  as  a  devoted  mother,  and  though  it  cost  her  a 
sacrifice  to  consent  to  his  going,  yet  the  sacrifice  was 
willingly  made  for  the  sake  of  her  Saviour,  and  for 
the  welfare  of  those  who  were  destitute  of  the  means 
of  grace.  The  Christian  at  length  triumphed  over 
the  parent,  and  she  said  to  him,  "How  often  have  I 
prayed  for  the  extension  of  Christ's  kingdom  among 
men  !  And  now  if  the  Lord  will  take  my  own  child 
to  answer  my  prayer,  what  have  I  to  say  ?  I  feel 
that  I  ought  to  consent.  If  you  think  it  is  your  duty 
to  go,  Peter,  go." 

It  was  a  noble  reply,  and  worthy  to  be  recorded  as 
an  example  for  thousands  of  pious  parents  in  our 
Church,  and  throughout  our  land,  who,  while  they 
pray,  we  cannot  doubt  sincerely,  for  the  coming  of 
Christ's  kingdom,  yet  withhold  their  children  from 
the  ministerial  and  missionary  service  to  which  he  so 


40 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


loudly  calls  them  both   by  his  providence  and   his 
word. 

In  tlie  meantime,  however,  between  the  date  of 
his  acceptance  of  the  Kentucky  mission,  and  that  of 
his  departure,  Mr.  Labagh  offered  himself  to  the 
Classis  of  All)anv  as  an  a<2:ent  or  missionary  to  2ro  on 
an  exploring  tour  to  western  Xew  York,  in  company 
with  the  Eev.  Mr.  Sickles,  afterwards  Dr.  Sickles,  of 
Schenectadv.  It  is  to  the  honor  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church,  and  it  should  be  remembered  only 
to  enlarge  lier  liberality,  and  arouse  her  Christian 
enterprise  in  the  same  blessed  cause,  that,  as  she  was 
among  the  lirst,  if  not  the  very  first,  to  engage  in 
labors  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians,  so  she  was 
in  the  van  of  that  movement  whose  object  it  was  to 
extend  the  influence  of  a  preached  Gospel,  and  of 
the  house  of  God,  into  our  western  Territories,  and 
into  the  wilds  of  Canada,  with  the  advancing  tide  of 
human  life.  Her  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  Indians 
were  almost  coeval  with  her  cis-atlantic  existence. 
A  late  writer,  in  tracing  the  history  of  the  various 
ecclesiastical  bodies  which  constitute  the  great  Pres- 
byterian family,  takes  occasion  to  mention  in  honor- 
able terms  the  initial  attempts  of  the  Dutch  pastor  at 
Albanv  to  brins:  the  abori opines  under  the  meliorating' 
and  saving  power  of  divine  truth.  "  In  1633,"  says 
he,  ''  a  clerficvman  was  sent  out  from  the  Classis  of 


i 


REV.    PETER   LA.BAGH,    D.D. 


41 


Amsterdam,  by  wdiich  body  the  Dutch  Church  was 
supplied  witli  ministers  until  the  year  1757,  when 
independent  judicatories  were  established.  It  is 
worthy  of  notice  that  the  earliest  recorded  efi:brts  to 
teach  the  Indians  the  religion  of  Jesus,  were  made 
by  the  Pastor  of  tlie  Clnirch  at  Fort  Orange,  now 
called  Albany.  In  the  year  1643,  several  years  be- 
fore the  labors  of  Eliot  in  behalf  of  the  Indians  began. 
Dominie  Megapolensis  had  interested  himself  in  their 
behalf^  and  often  had  them  among  his  hearers  when 
preaching  the  Gos})el,  and  had  frequent  opportunities 
of  explaining  to  them  the  nature  and  elements  of  the 
Christian  religion."* 

With  what  measure  of  success  these  earlv  efforts 
were  attended,  there  are  no  records  extant  to  inform 
lis.  They  were  put  forth  in  the  midst  of  great  and 
peculiar  difficulties,  and  their  results,  it  would  be 
reasonable  to  suppose,  must  have  been  proportion- 
ately small.  The  task  of  reforming  and  evangelizing 
a  savage  people  that  have  become  imbruted  by  ages 
of  the  deepesti  gnorance  and  degradation,  can  ordina- 
rily be  accomplished  only  by  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  faithful  and  persevering  labors  extended  through 
a  long  series  of  years.  The  depraved  habits  and 
customs  that  have  been  handed  down  by  tradition 

*  Sketches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  by  Rev.  J.  E.  Rockwell. 
Presbyteiian  Board  of  Publication. 


42 


me:moir  of  the 


and  example  from  one  generation  to  another,  demand 
for  their  overthrow  the  inHiience  of  time  as  well  as 
of  truth,  and  require  that  they  who  labor  for  the  at- 
tainment of  such  results  should  let  patience  have  her 
perfect  work.     But  in  addition  to  all  the  obstacles 
arising  from  the  traditions  and  manners  of  the  people, 
there  was  another  liardly  less  formidable  in   their 
language,  which  is  described  to  us  as  a  barbarous 
jarg(m  peculiarly  difficult  to  master,  and  subject  to 
grammatical  laws.     Of  the  labors  of  the   apostolic 
Eliot,  at  a  later  day,  none  indicate  more  clearly  the 
resolute  spirit  and  indefatigable  pei-severance  which 
distinguished  him  than  his  mastery  of  the  language, 
and  the  fruits  it  produced  in  his  Indian  grammar, 
and  his  translation  of  the  whole  Bible  into  the  Indian 
tongue. 

Cotton  Mather  has  recorded  Eliot's  difficulties  and 
triumplis  in  this  department  of  his  missionary  labor, 
in  terms,  which,  if  they  are  quaint,  are  no  less  strik- 
ing and  expressive. 

''Behold,"  says  he,  '^new  difficulties  to  be  snr- 
mounted  by  our  indefatigable  Eliot!  He  hires  a 
native  to  teach  him  this  exotic  language,  and,  with  a 
laborious  care  and  skill,  reduces  it  into  a  grammar, 
which  afterwards  he  published.  There  is  a  letter  or 
two  in  our  alphabet  which  the  Indians  never  had  in 
theirs;  but  if  their  alphabet  be  short,  I  am  sure  the 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


43 


words  composed  of  it  are  long  enough  to  tire  the  pa- 
tience of  any  scholar  in  the  world  ;  they  are  sesqui- 
'pedalia  verha^  of  which  their  linguo  is  composed  ; 
one  would  think  they  had  been  growing  ever  since 
Babal  unto  the  dimensions  to  which  they  are  now  ex- 
tended.    For  instance,  if  my  reader  will  count  how 
many  letters  there  are  in  this  one  word,  Niimmatch- 
ehodtantainooojiganunnonash^  when  he  has  done,  for 
his  reward,  I  '11  tell  him  it  signilies  no  more  in  Eng- 
lish than,  our  lusts  ;  and  if  I  were  to  translate  our 
loves^  it  must  be  nothing  shorter  than  Noowoman- 
iaminooonkanunminash ,      Or,  to  give  my  reader  a 
longer  word  than  either  of  these,  KummogJcodonat- 
toottuinmooetiteaongannunnonash  is  in  English,  our 
question. ;  but  I  pray,  sir,  count  the  letters  !     Nor  do 
we  find  in  all  this  language  the  least  affinity  to,  or 
derivation  from  any  European  speech  that  we   are 
acquainted  with.     I  know  not  what  thoughts  it  will 
produce  in  my  reader,  when  I  inform  him  that  once, 
finding  that  the  Daemons  in  a  possessed  young  woman 
understood  the  Latin,  and  Greek,  and   Hebrew  lan- 
guages, my  curiosity  led  me  to  make  trial  of  this 
Indian  language,  and  the  Daemons  did  seem  as  if 
they  did  not  understand  it.     Tliis  tedious  language 
our  Eliot  (the  anagram  of  whose  name  was  Toile), 
quickly  became  master  of ;  having  finished  his  gram- 
mar, at  the  close  he  writes:    'Prayers   and   pains 


^ 


iii^^S); 


u 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  will  do  any  tliino-f  '"* 
Tlie  same  spirit  which  actuated  Megapolensis  in 
his  labors  among  the  Indians  at  Fort  Orange,  led  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Chnrch  at  a  snbsefiuent°period  to 
put  forth  an  effort,  wliich,  however  feeble  it  may 
appear  to  us,  was  vet  in  some  proportion  to  her 
ability  and   circumstances  at  the   time,  to  spread 
and  maintain  the  institutions  of  evangelical  religion 
among  the  emigrants  and  pioneers  of  civilization  in 
what  where  then  the  western  wilds.     It  was  in  con- 
nection with  the  desire  to  effect  this  object  that  the 
expedition  to  western  New  York,  already  mention- 
ed, was   conceived  and  undertaken.     Mr.   Labagh, 
with  his  fellow  explorer,  set  out  on  his  journey^i 
August,  1796,  and  after  visiting  a  number  of  settle- 
ments in  that  region,  and  collecting  the  information 
desired,  he  returned  to  report  the  result,  and  arrived 
at  Ilackensack  in  the  month  of  October  following. 

The  results  of  the  missionary  labor  thus  early 
commenced  and  subsequently  carried  on  in  western 
New  York,  are  seen  at  the  present  time  in  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Churches,  which  are  there  maintain- 
ing the  doctrines,  and  striving  in  their  sphere  and 
measure  to  disseminate  the  influence  of  gospel  Chris- 
tianity. W'latever  may  have  been  the  fruits  of  the 
missionary  labor  expended  in   Canada,   they   have 

•Mather's  Magnalia,  vol.  1,  p.  661. 


I 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


45 


inured  to  the  increase  of  otlier  denominations  than 
our  own.  The  Reformed  Dutch  Churches  planted 
in  that  province,  bv  the  efforts  of  those  who  have 
now  gone  to  their  reward,  have  ceased  to  sustain  any 
ecclesiastical  relation  to  our  Synods,  and  our  know- 
ledge of  them  is  consequently  very  defective. 

A  letter  addressed  to  tlie  General  Synod  of  1806, 
by  the  Rev.  Robert  McDowall,  who  had  then  been 
about  eight  years  engaged  as  a  missionary  in  Canada, 
contains  some  interesting  statements  in  regard  to  the 
history  of  the  effort  put  forth  by  the  Church,  to  ex- 
tend over  that  moral  desert  the  influence  of  the  Gos- 
pel. Tlie  letter,  as  found  in  the  Minutes  of  General 
Synod  for  tlie  year  1806,  is  the  followin<r: 

^^To  the  Rev.  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church, 
convened  at  Albany,  June  3d,  1806 : 

"  Fathers  and  Brethren  :  The  subscriber  begs 
leave  to  lay  before  you  a  statement  of  the  state  of 
religion  in  Upper  Canada.  In  the  year  A.  D.,  1798, 
he  was  sent  by  the  Rev.  Classis  of  Albanv,  on  a  mis- 
sion  to  that  country,  and  formed  several  conoreo-a- 
tions.  He  found  the  inhabitants  verv  desirous  of 
having  the  Gospel  preached  to  them.  Soon  after  his 
return  from  the  Mission,  he  received  and  accepted  a 
cull  from  three  of  those  congregations,  which  he  had 
organized,  viz  :  Ernestown,  Fredericsburfrh  and  Adol- 


46 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


phustown,  Oil  the  iioi'tli-west  side  of  Lake  Ontario. 
He  found  that  the  enenij  had  come  in  like  a  flood, 
and  had  disseminated  principles  which  were  subver- 
sive of  the  fundamentals  both  of  religion  and  morals. 
These  anti-christian  principles  being  strenuously  ad- 
vocate<i,  and  the  doctrines  of  salvation  by  grace 
being  misrepresented,  and  then  turned  into  ridicule 
from  almost  the  very  first  settlement  of  the  country, 
had  a  very  bad  effect  upon  the  minds  of  many. 
Notwithstanding,  he  has  reason  to  be  thankful  that 
the  truths  of  the  Gospel  have  gained  the  ascendancy 
over  many,  and  some  who  were  bitterly  opposed  to 
the  doctrines  of  the  Cross,  have  cordially  end)raced 
them,  and  in  the  judgment  of  charity,  have  felt  their 
salutary  influence  on  their  souls. 

"  lie  has,  however,  great  reason  to  lament  that  he 
cannot  discharge  his  duty  to  the  people  among 
whom  he  is  settled.  lie  is  alone.  Tlie  country  is 
extensive.  Many  and  pressing  are  the  invitations 
which  he  frequently  receives  from  distant  parts,  to 
go  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  those  who  are  destitute 
of  it.  lie  has  several  times  gone  to  York,  which  is 
upward  of  two  hundred  miles  from  the  place  where 
he  lives.  It  is  a  very  pleasant  town,  and  contains  a 
large  number  of  inhabitants.  The  country  is  settled 
about  thirtv-flve  miles  towards  the  north  from  York, 
throuo^h  which  settlement  he  has  traveled  several 


KEV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


47 


I  i 


times  and  preached  to  the  inhabitants,  who  were 
very  desirous  to  hear  the  Gospel.  They  were  then 
anxious  to  have  a  minister  settled  among  them,  and 
able  to  give  him  a  decent  support.  There  is  also  a 
very  flourishing  settlement  at  the  west  end  of  the 
bay  of  Quiiite,  about  forty  miles  from  the  place 
where  he  resides.  The  inhabitants  have  been  very 
desirous  to  have  the  Gospel,  and  are  able  to  support 
it.  But  the  enemy  has  lately  made  inroads  among 
them.  Elizabetht(»wn,  about  seventy-iive  miles  to 
the  north-east  from  where  he  lives,  has  been  a  very 
respectable  congregation,  but  they  are  now  in  de- 
spair of  ever  having  the  Gospel  established  among 
them.  They  have  given  a  call  to  two  ministers,  but 
were  disappointed  in  their  expectations.  The  enemy 
has  lately  made  great  inroads  among  them. 

"Formerly  the  subscriber  used  to  travel  through 
all  this  great  extent  of  country,  preaching  often  from 
six  to  nine  times  in  a  week.  Consequently  the  con- 
gregations among  which  he  is  settled  were  greatly 
neglected,  often  being  from  three  to  six  weeks  with- 
out having  the  Gospel  preached  to  them.  Ilis  con- 
stitution is  now  much  debilitated,  owing  to  the  abun- 
dance of  his  ministerial  labors,  and  he  is  therefore 
unable  to  visit  those  places.  They  are  continually 
growing  less  able  to  support  the  Gospel.  The  Bap- 
tists frequently  send  missionaries  through  that  coun- 


t  I 


^  r  J'- 


48 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


i  I 


1 1 


try;  and  missioiKiries  from  Connecticut  Iiave  lately 
visited  those  parts.     The  trutli  is,  unless  tliej  liave 
immediate  assistance,  they  will  be  rent  into  so  many 
sects,  that  tliey  will  be  unable  to  support  a  minister 
of  any  denomination.     To  me  they  look  for  assis- 
tance.    I  cannot  give  it  to  them.     What  shall  I  do  ? 
'^To  you,  Rev.  Fathers  and  Brethren,  I  must  look 
for  assistance.     And  as  I  have,  through  Providence, 
come  here  just  at  this  very  time  when  you  are  as- 
sonbled  to  consult  the  welfare  of  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom  on  earth,  I  wish  to  lay  before  you  the  de- 
plorable condition  our  country  is  in,  with  respect  to 
religion.     For,  according  ro  present  appearances,  all 
endeavors  to  establish  the  Gospel  in  those  parts  will 
be  needless,  unless  we  have   immediate  assistance. 
And  if  no  assistance  can  be  obtained  from  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church,  he  considers  himself  under 
the  necessity  to  advise  them  to  make  application  to 
the  Presbyterian  Church  for  supplies. 

^^From  your   affectionate    brother   and    fellow- 
laborer  in  tlie  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus, 

"  ROBKKT    McDoWALL.'- 

Kotwithstanding  the  earnestness  of  the  appeal, 
and  the  importance  of  the  labor  required,  the  Synod 
had  no  choice  in  regard  to  its  course  of  action. 
However  great  may  have  been  the  desire  to  send  as- 


sistance to  the  brethren  in  Canada,  it  was  impossible 
to  find  the  men  to  go  and  settle  among  them  as  per- 
manent pastors.  The  Churches  nearer  by  were  al- 
ready in  a  large  measure  without  the  full  and  regu- 
lar service  of  the  ministry,  and  to  remove,  from  those 
which  were  supplied,  the  pastors  whose  labors  were  so 
greatly  needed,  would  have  been  to  take  the  Gospel 
from  one  portion  of  the  Church  in  order  to  give  it 
to  another.  As  it  was,  the  Synod  did  that  which  was 
next  best.  It  did,  in  fact,  all  that  it  well  could  do. 
It  sent,  at  intervals,  by  direct  appointment,  as  well 
as  through  its  agent,  the  Standing  Committee  on 
Missions,  a  succession  of  ministers  to  visit  and 
preach,  during  stated  periods,  among  the  several 
Churches  in  Canada. 

At  its  session  in  1806,  to  which  reference  has 
already  been  made,  the  Synod  appointed  three  mis- 
sionaries, who  had  offered  their  services  for  that  pur- 
pose, to  visit  Canada,  and  labor  among  the  people 
for  "  the  space  of  at  least  two  months."  They  were 
to  set  out  on  their  journey  thither  on  the  first  of  Au- 
gust. These  missionaries  were  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Christian  Bork,  of  the  Classis  of  :N'ew  York,  Peter  D. 
Froeligh,  of  the  Classis  of  Ulster,  and  Conrad  Ten 
Eyck,  of  the  Classis  of  Montgomery.  Their  pulpits 
were  to  be  supplied  during  their  absence  by  minis- 
ters designated  by  the  Synod,  and  each  missionary 
3 


50 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


was  to  receive  as  a  compensation,  including  his  ex- 
penses, the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars  per  week.  They 
were  directed  t^)  keep  a  regular  journal  of  their  la- 
bors and  successes,  and  report  to  the  Committee  on 
Missions. 

The  missionaries  performed  their  work,  and  in 
due  time  submitted  their  respective  journals  and 
reports  to  the  Committee  on  Missions.  That  Com- 
mittee, having  full  power,  probably  sent  out  addi- 
tional missionaries  during  the  interval  between  the 
triennial  meetings  of  Synod  in  1806  and  in  1809,  as 
it  certainly  did  afterwards  during  the  interval  be- 
tween the  meetings  in  1809  and  1812. 

The  whole  subject  came  up  again  before  the  Gene- 
ral Synod  of  1809,  when  two  missionaries  were  ap- 
pointed  by  that  body  to  labor  in  Canada  during 
"the  space  of  at  least  three  months."  Tlie  Rev. 
Messrs.  Jacob  Sickles  and  Henry  Ostrander,  having 
offered  themselves  for  that  service,  were  accepted 
and  sent  out  on  the  same  terms  and  under  the  same 
directions  as  their  predecessors. 

A  brief  statement  of  the  results  of  their  labors  is 
contained  in  a  report  submitted  by  the  temporary 
Committee  on  Missions  to  the  General  Synod  of  1812, 
from  which  the  following  paragraphs  are  an  extract:' 
"It  appears  that  since  the  meeting  of  General 
Synod  in  1809,  four  missionaries  have  been  employed 


by  the  (standing)  Committee  on  Missions,  viz:  In 
1809,  the  Eev.  Jacob  Sickles  and  the  Eev.  Henry 
Ostrander  spent  three  months  as  missionaries  in 
Upper  Canada,  during  which  time  they  preached 
eighty-one  sermons,  administered  the  Lord's  Supper 
three  times,  received  thirty  persons  into  the  commu- 
nion of  the  Church,  and  baptized  thirteen  children. 

"In  1810,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Alexander  Gunn  and 
John  Beattie  were  employed  as  missionaries  for  the 
province  of  Upper  Canada.  Rev.  Mr.  Gunn  did  not 
proceed  on  his  mission  on  acccount  of  the  reported 
state  of  health  in  the  country  through  which  he  was 
to  have  passed.  Rev.  John  Beattie  spent  eighteen 
weeks,  as  a  missionary,  on  a  tour  round  Lake  On- 
tario. He  preached  fifty-three  sermons,  received  on 
confession  of  ftiith,  sixteen,  and  by  certificate,  two 
l^ersons,  into  the  communion  of  our  Church,  admin- 
istered the  ordinance  of  Baptism  to  nineteen  persons, 
and  organized  a  Church  at  York,  in  Upper  Canada, 
which  is  now  under  the  care  of  the  Classis  of  Albany. 

"  It  appears  to  be  the  opinion  of  our  missionaries, 
that  Upper  Canada  opens  a  wide  field  for  useful 
labors.  Whether  it  would  be  expedient  to  send  mis- 
sionaries to  Canada  under  existing  circumstances, 
must  be  left  discretionary  with  the  standing  Com- 
mittee of  Missions,  to  whom  this  business  is  intrusted. 
Should  it  be  considered  as  expedient,  it  appears  to  be 


,..•  ...v-r 


f<^-'  ■  ■  •» pwj bii"'i.*F>'ef^ ■.•*  .wiif*'  .j^f-v^/K  .1 


52 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


necessary  that  our  missionaries  should  be  employed 
for  a  longer  term  than  heretofore.  Great  benefit 
would  result  from  the  settlement  of  a  few  faithful 
ministers  in  the  congregations  already  organized, 
who  might  be  usefully  employed  a  part  of  the  time 
as  missionaries,  for  which  service  they  might  be  paid 
from  our  missionary  fund."' 

Efforts  were  made  by  the  General  Synods  of  1816 
and  1817  to  carry  on  the  missionary  work  in  Canada, 
but  without  any  marked  results.  In  the  last  named 
year  the  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  D.  Schermerhorn  and  Jacob 
Yan  Yechten  were  appointed  to  visit  that  Province, 
and  to  labor  for  three  months  among  the  churches. 
The  principal  tacts  in  the  statement  which  they  pre- 
sented after  their  return,  were  incorporated  into  the 
report  submitted  by  the  temporary  Committee  on 
Missions  to  the  General  Synod  of  1818. 

Tlie  Committee  state  that  they  "  beg  leave  to  call 
the  attention  of  Synod  to  the  report  of  the  Standing 
Committee  of  Missions,  accompanied  with  docu- 
ments. 

"Tliis  report  informs  Synod  that  the  Eev.  Messrs. 
J.  F.  Schermerhorn  and  Jacob  Yan  Yechten  have 
fulfilled  with  fidelity  and  zeal  their  appointment  as 
missionaries  to  Upper  Canada,  and  for  further  in- 
formation refers  to  an  interesting  account  which  those 
missionaries  have  rendered,  of  the  progress  and  re- 


sult of  their  mission  in  that  country.  This  account, 
drawn  up  with  much  intelligence,  your  Committee 
have  read  with  no  small  pleasure,  and  with  a  view  to 
exhibit  those  parts  of  it  which  are  most  interesting 
to  us,  they  direct  the  attention  of  Synod  to  the  fol- 
lowing exti-acts : 

"There  are  in  the  Province  of  Upper  Canada 
eleven  Reformed  Dutch  Churches.*  Tliese  Church- 
es are  situated  as  follows :  In  the  townships  of  Ma- 
tilda, Osnaburgh,  and  Williamsburgh,  each,  one 
congregation.  These  three  Churches  are  at  present 
under  the  care  of  a  Burgher  Minister,  who  expressed 
a  friendly  disposition  toward  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  dumber  of  communicants,  sixty.  Religion 
in  a  low  state.  In  the  township  of  Ernestown,  two 
congregations,  and  of  Fredericksburgh,  one.  These 
three  Churches  are  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
McDowall,t  who  continues  to  labor  with  unwearied 

*Tliere  seems  to  be  a  slight  discrepancy  in  the  statistics;  for 
while  we  are  told  in  the  general  statement,  at  the  outset,  that 
"there  are  in  the  Province  of  Upper  Canada  eleven  Reformed 
Dutch  Churches,"  we  find  but  nine  accounted  for  in  the  details 
which  follow.  It  is  probable  that  two  of  the  number  first  men- 
tioned were  omitted  through  inadvertance. 

f  The  report  of  the  Standing  Committee  on  Missions,  as  incor- 
porated in  the  minutes  of  General  Synod  for  1818,  contains  a 
noticeable  item  in  regard  to  the  Rev,  Mr.  McDowall.  The  Commit- 
tee state,  •*  that  in  lieu  of  Scott's  Bible,  which  the  Committee  were 


if 


zeal  in  his  Master's  service.  In  the  township  of 
Sophiasbiirgli,  one  congregation,  which  is  vacant. 
The  people  here  expressed  a  desire  that  a  candidate 
should  visit  them.  In  the  township  of  Sydney,  one 
congregation  in  a  destitute  condition,  and  of  York, 
one  congregation,  which  is  vacant.  The  people  are 
anxious  to  have  a  missionary  settled  among  them, 
and  will  be  answerable  for  his  support. 

"From  the  above  brief  statement  it  appears  to 
your  Committee,  that  Upper  Canada  opens  a  wide 
field  for  missionary  labors.  That  field,  however,  cir- 
cumstances prevent  us  from  cultivating  in  a  manner 
that  is  desirable,  and  that  would  produce  those  bene- 
fits which  we  expect  to  derive  from  our  very  limited 
means.  But  while  your  Committee  coincide  in  senti- 
ment with  the  Standing  Committee  of  Missions, '  that 
the  Canada  Missions  are  not  productive  of  the  good 
effects  which  ought  to  be  the  object  of  missionary 
labors,'  they  are  convinced,  that  the  attention  of 
Synod  ought  not  to  be  wholly  withdrawn  from  that 
country,  in  which  the  desolate  places  are  so  numer- 
ous, and  in  which  so  many  souls  are  crying,  '  Come 
over  and  help  us.'     It  appears  to  your  Committee 

directed  by  the  General  Synod  to  transmit  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
McDowall,  thej'  have  by  particular  request  of  Mr.  McDowall,  com- 
municated by  letter,  supplied  him  with  other  Theological  books, 
equal  in  price  to  Scott's  Family  Bible,  amounting  to  $30  37^." 


that,  in  consequence  of  the  contemplated  removal  of 
the  Eev.  Cornelius  Schermerhorn  into  Canada,  and 
of  the  disposition  which  one  or  more  ministers  of  the 
Presbyterian  order  have  manifested  to  connect  them- 
selves with  our  Church,  a  Classis  might  be  organized 
in  that  country.  With  a  view  to  this  important  ob- 
ject, your  Committee  submit  the  following  resolu- 
tion : — 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Particular  Synod  of  Albany 

be  directed  to  take  the  most  speedy  and  efi'ectual 
measures  to  organize  a  Classis  in  the  Province  of 
Upper  Canada." 

This  report  was  adopted,  but  does  not  appear  to 
have  led  to  any  practical  result. 


!L 


CHAPTER   IT. 

Return  from  western  New  York —  Sets  out  for  Kentucky  — 
Touching  Incident  at  Caughnaw  aca  —  Detainkd  at  Pitts- 
burg—  Reaches  his  Place  of  Destination  —  Remains  in  Ken- 
tucky ONLY  Three  Months  —  Returns  to  New  Jersey  —  Invited 
TO  Settle  at  Shannock  and  Harlingen  —  Accepts  a  Call  to 
Catskill  and  Oakuill  —  Marriage  —  Domestic  History  —  Re- 
moval to  Shannock  and  Harlingen  —  i^^TALLATION  —  Inaugu- 
ral Sermon  —  Elected  a  Trustee  of  Rutgers  College  —  Inau- 
gurates Correspondence  by  Delegates  with  the  German 
Reformed  Church  —  Note:  Opinion  in  Regard  to  its  Discon- 
tinuance in  1853  —  Early  Efforts  in  Behalf  of  the  Bible 
Cause  —  One  of  the  Founders  of  the  Somerset  County  Bible 
Society  —  Account  of  its  Organization. 

After  returning  from  liis  expedition  to  western 
New  York,  Mr.  Labagli  remained  among  his  friends 
in  the  vicinity  of  Ilackensack  for  about  two  weeks, 
when  he  set  out  on  his  journey  to  Kentucky.  Trav- 
eling on  horseback  he  passed  through  Cauglmawaga. 
Pennsvlvania,  and  found  occasion  to  tarry  a  few 
days  in  the  place.  While  there,  a  circumstance  oc- 
curred which  made  a  deep,  and,  there  is  reason  to 

3^ 


believe,  an  enduring  impression  upon  his  mind. 
Away  from  friends  and  home,  in  a  strange  country 
and  among  strangers,  he  one  day  found  a  paper 
fokled  and  lying  among  the  clothing  which  his 
motlier's  own  hand  had  arran<red  for  him  to  use  while 
on  his  journey.  He  took  it  up,  and,  on  opening  it, 
discovered  in  her  well  known  writing,  these  words : 
"The  Lord,  the  Lord  God  be  better  to  you  than  ten 
mothers,  and  to  me  than  ten  sons !"  He  read  them 
with  tears,  and  then  went  and  cast  himself  upon  God, 
with  all  his  heart,  as  his  everlastinoj  stren<rth  and 
portion.  More  than  once,  after  he  had  passed  the 
age  of  three  score  years  and  ten,  did  he  mention  this 
incident  to  the  writer  of  this  Memoir,  and  speak  of 
the  remarkable  influence  it  exerted  upon  his  mind. 
He  found  those  words  to  be  words  of  power.  They 
went  with  him  through  life.  AVho  can  estimate  their 
silent,  invisible,  but  controlling  energy  in  his  soul? 

From  Caughnawaga  he  pursued  his  way  to  Pitts- 
burg, where  he  was  detained  several  weeks  by  the 
state  of  the  river.  An  opportunity  at  length  offered 
itself,  and  he  proceeded  down  the  Ohio,  toward  his 
place  of  destination,  which  he  reached  early  in  Feb- 
ruary, after  a  journey  of  about  three  months. 

He  did  not  remain  long  in  Kentucky;  probably 
not  more  than  three  months  altogether.  His  ser- 
vices, while  there,  were  highly  appreciated  by  the 


people,  but  there  were  circumstances  over  which  he 
had  no  control,  which  induced  him  to  return  for  a 
season  to  Xew  Jersey.  Having  organized  a  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  in  Mercer  county,  he  turned 
his  face  homeward,  and  arrived  at  Xew  York  about 
the  lirst  of  June,  being  just  in  time  to  submit  a 
report  of  his  proceedings  to  the  Synod.  It  was  his 
intention,  when  he  left  Kentucky,  to  spend  a  short 
time  in  New  York  and  New  Jersey  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  his  personal  affairs,  and  then  return  to  his 
distant  field  of  labor.  So  confident  was  he  in  this 
expectation,  that  when  he  started  on  his  journey  to 
the  east,  he  left  his  books  and  other  articles  of  prop- 
erty behind  him.  But  a  wise  and  merciful  Provi- 
dence, whose  overruling  power  he  always  delighted 
to  i-ecognize,  had  appointed  him  to  a  different  ser- 
vice, and  now  led  him  in  a  way  that  he  knew  not  of. 
An  interval  of  several  months  occurred  between  the 
date  of  his  return  from  Kentucky  and  that  of  his  first 
regular  settlement  as  a  pastor.  During  that  time  he 
received,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  informal  propo- 
sals from  the  united  congregations  of  Shannock^  and 

*  As  this  place  will  be  several  times  referred  to  in  the  course  of 
this  Memoir,  it  may  be  desirable  to  remark  that  the  orthography  of 
the  name  is  so  different,  as  given  by  different  persons,  that  a  stran- 
ger would  be  at  a  loss  to  determine  its  identity.  It  is  written  di- 
versely Shaunick,  Shannock,  New  Shannack,  New  Shannick,  New 


Harliiigeii,  to  become  the  colleague  of  their  pastor, 
the  Eev.  William  E.  Smith,  brotlier  of  the  celebrated 
Samuel  Stanhope  Smitli,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President  of 
the  College  of  ^ew  Jersey.  These  proposals,  how- 
ever, he  declined,  and  went  np  the  Hudson  i-iver, 
with  the  intention  of  spending  tlie  winter  of  1797  and 
1798  in  studying  with  his  brother  at  Kinderhook. 
Mr.  Smith  himself  at  lenorth  wrote  to  him,  uro-ino- 
him  once  more  to  visit  the  churches  of  Sliannock 
and  Ilarlingcn,  with  a  view  to  a  settlement  as  his 
colleague.  But  the  letter  came  too  late.  lie  had 
already  accepted  a  call  to  the  united  churches  of 
Catskill  and  Oakhill,  in  Greene  county,  Xew  York. 
He  was  married  on  the  tenth  of  Mav,  1798,  to  Mao-- 
dalen  Van  Alen,  of  Greenbush,  Rensselaer  county, 
l^ew  York,  and  entered  at  once  upon  his  duties  as  a 
pastor. 

He  continued  in  his  first  settlement  until  1809,  a 
period  of  eleven  years.  During  that  time  his  do- 
mestic circle  was  thrice  invaded  by  death.  In  the 
first  and  second  instances,  he  was  bereaved  of  his 
children,  and  in  the  third  instance  of  his  wife,  who 
died  in  1805.     Some  three  years  after,  on  the  thir- 

Shannock,  Neshannic,  Neshannack,  to  which  might  be  added  a 
number  of  other  variations  "  too  tedious  to  be  mentioned."  It  is 
here  invariably  spoken  of  as  Shannock,  the  orthography  most 
c(.raraon,  an«i,  at  the  same  time,  most  convenient. 


I! 


tecnth  of  October,  1808,  he  was  married  a  second 
time,  to  Maria  Schoonmaker,  daughter  of  Johannes 
Schoonmaker,   of  Eochester,  Ulster  county,    iS'ew 

York. 

In  the  early  part  of  1809  he  received  and  accepted 

a  call  to  the  united  churches  of  Sliannock  and  Ilar- 
lingen,  in  Somerset  county,  New  Jersey,  and  in 
Jnlv  of  the  same  year  removed  to  his  new  field  of 
labor.  Within  its  bounds  he  was  destined  by  a  mer- 
ciful Providence  to  close  his  life,  respected  and  be- 
loved by  the  children  and  the  children's  children  of 
those  at  whose  invitation,  half  a  century  before,  he 
accepted  its  important  responsibilities. 

Although  he  removed  to  New  Jersey,  and  com- 
menced the  discharcre  of  his  ministerial  duties  in  the 
month  of  July,  his  installation,  as  we  learn  from  the 
records  of  the  Ilarlingen  Consistory,  did  not  take 
place  till  the  f(>llowing  October.  The  religious  ser- 
vices on  the  occasion  were  conducted  by  the  Eev. 
Peter  Steddiford,  of  Eeadington.  On  the  ensuing 
Sabbath,  the  8th  of  October,  1809,  Mr.  Labagh  de- 
livered his  inaugural  discourse  to  the  congregation 
at  Ilarlingen,  on  the  text  in  2  Corinthians  4 :  5, 
"  For  we  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the 
Lord  ;  and  ourselves  your  servants  for  Jesus'  sake." 

The  following  extract,  embracing  the  conclusion 
of  his  sermon,  is  indicative  of  the  kind  and  genial 


spirit,  and  of  tlie  evangelical  unction,  wliich  charac- 
terized him  throughout  the  whole  of  his  ministry: 

''How  solemn,  how  weiglity,  is  the  ministerial 
office !  To  preach  Clirist  Jesus  the  Lord,  to  declare 
the  whole  counsel  of  God,  to  be  instant  in  season  and 
out  of  season  !  Well  might  even  an  apostle  approach 
it  witli  trembling,  and  sav,  Wlio  is  sufficient  for  tliese 
things? 

"In  taking  upon  me  the  charge  of  these  conirreo-a- 
tions,  I  address  myself  first  to  you,  my  worthy  and 
reverend  colleague,  and  fellow  laborer  in  this  vine- 
yard. For  your  exertions  in  effecting  my  settlement 
here,  and  for  the  candid  expression  of  your  wishes  on 
that  subject,  I  ofter  you  my  cordial  thanks.  This 
was  a  considerable  inducement  for  me  to  accept  the 
call  of  these  congregations,  inasmucli  as  it  affoi-ded 
a  ground  of  hope  that  in  affections,  in  counsels,  and 
in  exertions,  we  should  be  united.  In  this  hope  I 
trust  we  sliall  not  be  disappointed.  Tliis  day  I  tender 
to  you  my  sincere  regard,  and  my  willing  coopera- 
tion in  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord.  While  we  unitedly 
bear  on  our  shoulders  the  ark  of  God,  may  we  walk 
in  love,  and  may  the  God  of  love  and  peace  be  with 
us !  Your  advancing  years,  and  your  longer  stand- 
ing in  the  Church,  give  you  the  advantage  of  more 
general  experience  and  riper  judgment.  In  this 
advantage  I  shall  be  glad  to  share,  and  my  more 


I  ! 


1  I 


: 


youthful  vigor,  I  trust,  will  be  willing  to  execute 
what  your  mature  mind  may  suggest.  May  the  God 
whom  we  serve,  bless  our  labors,  and  prosper  His 
cause,  and  when  the  Chief  Shephei-d  shall  appear, 
may  we  receive  a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not 

away ! 

"  In  the  next  place,  I  address  myself  to  the  Eldei-s 
and  Deacons  of  these  congregations.  On  your  affec- 
tion, your  advice,  and  your  assistance,  I  shall  place 
great  reliance  in  executing  the  duties  of  my  office. 
It  will  be  my  pleasure  always  to  maintain  a  friendly 
understanding  with  you,  for  a  house  divided  against 
itself  cannot  stand.  Your  watchfulness,  and  your 
zeal,  must  be  united  with  the  exertions  of  your  min- 
isters, and  your  hearts  must  be  one  with  theirs,  or 
there  is  no  prospect  of  a  blessing.  Like  Aaron  and 
Hur,  you  must  stay  up  their  hands,  w^hen  they  are 
stretched  out  in  prayer  to  God.  In  another  respect, 
your  office  is  also  important.  You  are  appointed  to 
watch  over  our  doctrine  and  walk.  In  the  latter  you 
will  doubtless  find  many  imperfections.  While  you 
receive  us  as  the  servants  of  God,  and  dispensers  of 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  remember  that  w^e 
carry  our  treasures  in  earthen  vessels.  AVith  your- 
selves we  are  subject  to  many  infirmities.  Cast  the 
mantle  of  Christian  charity  over  our  failings,  as 
we  desire  to  do  over  yours.     If  my  feet  should  stray, 


let  the  righteous  smite  nie,  it  shall  be  a  kindness,  and 
let  him  reprove  me,  it  shall  be  an  excellent  oil  which 
shall  not  break  my  head.  I  have  this  day  bound 
myself  to  serve,  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  the  Churches 
which  you  represent.  Brethren,  I  ask  your  fervent 
supplications  at  the  throne  of  grace,  that  I  may  be 
found  a  faithful  steward  of  the  mysteries  of  God,  and 
that  my  comino;  unto  vou  mav  be  in  the  fulness  of 
the  blessing  of  the  Gospel  of  peace.  I  trust  you  will 
always  find  me  acting  toward  you  witli  a  generous 
confidence.  You  are  our  advisers  and  helpers.  You 
with  us  are  accountable  for  the  souls  of  these  people. 
We  shall,  therefore,  cheerfully  cooperate  with  you 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  may  lie,  in  whose  vine- 
yard we  labor,  bless  our  united  exertions  for  His 
glory !  May  our  reward  be  great  in  Heaven,  and 
there,  when  we  sliall  have  ceased  to  serve  our  God 
on  earth,  may  we  nnite  with  the  four  and  twenty 
elders  around  the  throne,  and  cast  our  crowns  at  the 
feet  of  the  Lamb  ! 

"■  In  the  last  place,  I  shall  address  the  congrega- 
tion at  large.  My  brethren,  we  feel  a  heavy  respon- 
sibility when  we  behold  so  manv  souls  committed  to 
our  care.  On  an  occasion  so  solemn,  we  should  be 
cautious  in  our  promises  to  serve  you  in  the  Gospel, 
lest  we  essentially  fail  in  their  fultillment.  We  are 
insufficient  of  ourselves,  but  our  sufficiency  is  of  God. 


If  we  know  our  own  hearts,  our  desire  is  to  know 
nothing  among  you  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him  cruci- 
fied. To  be  successful  in  winning  souls  to  him  is  our 
highest  ambition.  We  ask  your  friendship  and  your 
confidence.  These  are  necessary  between  a  minister 
and  his  people.  And  when  these  have  once  ceased 
to  exist,  the  connection  had  better  be  dissolved.  Ex- 
pect not  too  much  from  us.  Itemember  that  your  min- 
isters are  not  angels.  They  are  men  of  like  passions 
with  yourselves.  They  are  frail  and  sinful  creatures. 
Bear  with  their  infirmities,  and  be  not  ready  to  expose 
their  faults.  To  be  respecters  of  persons,  they  dare  not- 
Their  ministrations  must  be  free  from  partiality. 
When,  therefore,  they  utter  the  reproofs  of  God's 
word  for  sin,  receive  the  friendly  act  in  the  spirit  of 
kindness,  and  consider  their  labors  as  labors  of  love. 

"  Finally,  brethren,  pray  for  us.  We  need  your 
prayers.  Bemember  the  old  proverb  of  the  father- 
land, 'A  praying  people  make  a  preaching  pastor.' 
We  shall  soon  be  discouraged  in  the  work  unless  we 
are  thus  assisted  and  sustained.  Your  friendship  and 
forbearance  will  cheer  us  in  our  duties,  and  your  fer- 
vent prayers  will  encourage  us  to  hope  for  success. 

"The  consequences  of  our  present  connection  relate 
to  the  eternal  world.  Before  the  bar  of  God,  minis- 
ters  and  people  must  soon  appear.  To  escape  the 
terrors  of  that  day,  may  we  be  found  faithful  unto 


I 


66 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


death,  and  tlie  salvation  of  yonr  souls  to  the  fruits  of 
our  labors !" 

In  the  year  1811,  two  years  after  liis  removal  to 
ISTew  Jei-sey,  Mr.  Labagh  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Queens,  now  Rutgers,  Col- 
lege, then  under  the  Presidency  of  the  Eev.  John  H. 
Livingston,  D.D.  Mr.  Lal)agh  continued  to  hold  the 
office  until  tlie  time  of  his  death.  He  was  alwavs  a 
warm  and  efficient  friend  of  the  College,  and  very 
punctual  in  discharging  the  duties  devolved  upon 
him  as  a  member  of  the  Board. 

In  the  year  1812,  the  General  Synod  being  desirous 
of  promoting  a  more  intimate   and   friendly  inter- 
coui-se  between  the   Refoi-med  Dutch  and  the  Ger- 
man   Reformed   Churches,   appointed   Mr.  Labagh, 
in  company  with  the  Rev.  James  S.  Cannon,  to  at- 
tend the  meeting  of  the  German  Synod  with  propo- 
sals having  reference  to  that  result.     In  pursuance 
of  their  appointment,  they  proceeded,  in  May,  1813, 
to  Fredericktown,  Maryland,  and  presented  to  the 
German  Synod  there  convened,  the  special  object  of 
their  mission,  by  tendering  to  the  members  of  that 
body  the  friendly  regard  of  the  Synod  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Cliurch,  and  by  "  offering  to  conduct  the  cor- 
respondence between  the  two  churches  upon  a  more 
agreeable  and  useful  plan  than  the  one  hitherto  pur- 


sued, viz :  by  the  appointment  of  corresponding 
members."  The  German  Synod  unanimously  ac- 
ceded to  the  ])roposal,  and  the  correspondence  thus 
inaugurated  b}-  the  mutual  appointment  of  delegates 
from  one  body  to  the  other,  continued  until  June, 
1853,  when  tlie  reported  defection  of  the  German 
Reformed  Synod  from  the  established  symbols  of 
that  Church,  and  the  introduction  of  theological  nov- 
elties among  them,  led  the  Synod  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  to  put  an  end  to  the  relation  which 
had  so  long  subsisted  between  them.* 

In  the  organization  of  the  Somerset  county  Bible 
Society,  which  occurred  in  1816,  Mr.  Labagh  also 
took  an  active  part,  and  rendered  important  service. 

*  It  is  due  to  the  truth  of  history  to  state,  that,  in  regard  to  the 
occasion  and  expediency  of  the  action  taken  by  the  General  Synod 
of  1853,  discontinuing  the  correspondence  between  the  two  churches, 
Dr.  Labagh's  judgment  was  never  entirely  convinced.  That  there 
was  a  tendency  manifested  by  individuals  in  the  German  Reformed 
Church  toward  certain  theories  which  gave  countenance,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  to  Romish  or  Pantheistic  notions,  he  did  not 
suppose  there  was  any  reason  to  doubt  On  this  point,  he  shared 
the  very  general  apprehension  of  the  Evangelical  Protestant  minis- 
try. But  to  what,  precisely,  that  tendency  amounted,  whether  it 
was  fatal  in  character  or  universal  in  extent,  and  whether  the 
German  Reformed  Churoli,  as  a  whole,  should  be  held  responsible 
for  it,  were  questions  upon  which  he  thought  there  was  scarcely 
sufficient  light  to  warrant,  or  at  all  events  to  require,  the  grave  and 
important  action  of  the  Synod. 


68 


MEMOIK   OF    THE 


Tlie  impulse  given  to  tlie  work  of  circiilatin<r  tlie 
sacred   Scriptures,  by   tlie  formation  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  in  1S04,  soon  awakened 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  a  spirit  of  inquiry,  and  a 
disposition  to  establish  institutions  of  a  similar  nature. 
The  first  association  of  the  kind  that  was  organized 
in  the  United  States,  was  the  Philadelpliia  Bible 
Society,  which  began  its  existence  in  ISOS.^     Others 
soon  sprang  up  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and 
among  the  earliest  of  them  was  the  IS'ew  Jersey  Bible 
Society,  at  whose  suggestion,  through  its  President, 
the  Hon.  Elias  Boudinot,  the  American  Bible  Society 
was  formed  in  May,  1S16.     To  this  institution  the 
]N"ew  Jersey  Society  at  once  became  auxiliary,  and,  at 
its  meeting  in  August,  1816,  "  recommended  to  their 
several  Boards  of  Agents,  in  the  different  counties  of 
the  state,  to  effect,  wherever  practicable,  the  forma- 
tion of  county  societies."     In  conformity  witli  this 
recommendation,  a  meeting  of  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  citizens  of  Somerset  county,  was  held,  as  we 
find  it  stated  in  the  printed  record  of  tlie  proceed- 
ings, ''  at  Somerville,  at  the  house  of  Daniel  Sargeant, 
on  the  1st  day  of  October,  1816,  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  subject  of  forming  a  Bible  Society  in 
and  for  said  county,  as  auxiliary  to  the  New  Jersey, 
or  the  American  Bible  Society."     Of  this  meeting, 

*  See  the  Americau  Bible  Society  Manual. 


Peter  B.  Dumont  was  chosen  chairman,  and  John 
Frelinghuysen,  secretary;  and,  on  motion  of  Samuel 
Bayard,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  con- 
stitution. The  committee  consisted  of  seven  persons: 
the  Kevds.  Peter  Steddiford,  John  Yredenberffh, 
Robert  Finley,  the  founder  of  the  American  Coloni- 
zation Society,  and  afterwards  President  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Georgia,  and  Peter  Labagh ;  and  the  lay- 
men, J.M.  Bayard,  J.  Frelinghuysen,  and  P.  Elmen- 
dorf. 

They  accordingly  prepared  the  constitution,  and, 
at  a  public  meeting,  'Mield  in  the  church  at  Somer- 
ville, (known  in  ecclesiastical  records  as  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  of  Raritan),  on  Tuesday,  the 
10th  day  of  December,  1816,"  it  was  submitted  by 
the  committee,  and,  "  after  sundry  alterations  made 
therein,"  was  adopted  by  the  meeting.  The  Somer- 
set County  Bible  Society  was  thus  organized  for  ser- 
vice ;  a  service  which  it  has  ever  rendered  with  an 
energy  and  munificence  worthy  of  all  praise ;  and 
among  those  who  were  chosen  to  constitute  its  first 
Board  of  Managers,  we  find  the  names  of  men  who 
were  as  great  in  intellect  and  learning  as  they  were 
in  piety,  whose  efforts  were  as  fruitful  as  they  were 
earnest,  and  who,  ''  being  dead,  yet  speak,"  by  their 
example  and  by  their  labors,  to  build  up  the  kingdom 
of  Christ.     It  would  be  unjust  not  to  mention  among 


i! 


the  founders  of  the  Society,  m  addition  to  the  name  of 
Labagh,  the  names  of  Cannon,  of  Six-Mile-Run,  Yre- 
denbergh,  of  Somerville,  Finley,  of  Baskingridge, 
Steddiford,  of  Readington,  Ilardenbergh,  of  Bedmin- 
ster,  Zabriskie,  of  Millstone,  Boggs,  of  Boundbrook, 
and  Comfort,  of  Kingston  ;  together  with  the  names 
of  honored  laymen,  who,  in  their  different  spheres, 
contributed  so  largely  to  the  success  of  the  same  no- 
ble cause,  such  as  the  two  Bayards,  Dumont,  Schenck, 
Frelinghuysen,  Stryker,  Annin,  Kirkpatrick,  and 
Dubois. 


CIIAPTEE  V. 

Official  Labors  — Rev.    Elias  Van  Bunschooten  —  iV"o/e :     Some 

ACCOUNT   OF  niM  —-  He  MAKES  A  DONATION  AND  BEQUEST  TO  GENERAL 

Synod  —  After  nis  death  the  Synod  resolves  to  have  his  re- 
mains  CONVEYED   TO    NeW^   BrUNSWICK,    AND    HIS    TOMB   DESIGNATED 

BY    A    MONUMENT Mr.    LaBAGH   ONE  OF   THE   COMMITTEE  TO   CARRY 

THE  RESOLUTION  INTO  EFFECT  —  SiNGULAE  OCC?URRENCE  AT  THE  DIS- 
INTERMENT OF  Mr.    Van  Bunschooten's   remains;   the  bones   of 

THE  PROPHET  RESTORING  THE  DEAD  TO  LIFE— SuNDAY  SCHOOLS,  THEIE 

ORIGIN  —  First  Sunday  schools  in  the  United  States  —  First 
IN  Somerset  County  —  Account  of  the  schools  at  Harlingen  — 
Mr.  Labagh's  influence  in  Synod  —  Proposed  union  of  the  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  and  the  Reformed  Dutch  Churches Mr.  La- 
bagh ON  THE  Committee  to  which  the  subject  was  referred 
BY  General  Synod  —  Failure  of  the  plan  —  Continuance  of 
fraternal  relations. 

It  frequently  occurred  during  the  early,  as  well  as 
the  subsequent  part  of  his  ministry  at  Shannock  and 
Harlingen,  that  Mr.  Labagh  was  appointed  by  the 
various  judicatories  of  the  Church  to  the  discharge 
of  duties,  which,  though  they  were  not  strictly  ecclesi- 
astical, required,  in  a  large  measure,  the  exercise  of 


brz 


souiul  jiidgnient  and  executive  ability.  Among  the 
labors  of  this  kind  devolved  upon  him  there  was  one, 
which,  though  attended  witli  no  great  difficulty,  we 
cannot  forbear  to  mention. 

In  the  year  1814:,  the  Eev.  Elias  Van  Bunschooteu,^ 

*  Dominie  Van  Bunschooten  was  born  at  New  Hackensack,  Fish- 
kiU  township,  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  October  26,  1738.  He 
graduated  honorably  at  Nassau  Hall,  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  October 
5,  1768.  He  studied  theology  with  Dr.  Hermann  us  Meyer,  atKing- 
Bton,  New  York.  He  was  licensed  in  1773  ;  first  settled  as  a  pastor 
at  Schagticoke,  on  the  Hudson  river,  north  of  Troy  ;  and,  in  July, 
1785,  removed  to  the  Clove,  in  "  the  beautiful  Kittitiny  valley,"  in 
Sussex  and  Warren  counties,  New  Jersey,  where  he  ended  his  days, 
January  10,  1815.  He  was  a  lover  of  learning,  and  a  man  of  tho- 
roughly evangelical  principles,  but  "  his  personal  character  had  a 
strong  tinge  of  eccentricity." 

He  lived  and  died  a  bachelor.  From  the  three  congregations  to 
which  he  ministered  in  New  Jersey,  he  received  an  annual  salary 
of  a  little  over  one  hundred  pounds.  By  economy  and  care  he  so 
managed  his  income  as  to  accumulate  a  considerable  property.  He 
became  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  land  of  about  seven  hundred  acres, 
and  also  erectea  a  mill  which  was  a  great  convenience  to  the  set- 
tlers of  what  was  then  almost  a  wilderness,  on  the  western  borders 

of  civilization. 

A  number  of  incidents  illustrating  the  Dominie's  eccentricity, 
were  gathered  up  a  few  years  ago,  and  embodied  with  many  inter- 
esting statements  in  an  article  in  the  New  Brunswick  Review.  It 
is  from  that  publication  that  the  facts  here  given  have  been  chiefly 
derived.     Among  other  traditions  respecting  him  are  the  following : 

"A  deacon  who  collected  his  pittance  at  Minisink,  defaulting  in 
payment,   mortgaged  his  farm  to  the  Dominie  as  security.     The 


who  about  two  years  before  had,  in  consequence  of 
age  and  intirniity,  retired  from  the  pastoral  charge 
of  the  Eeformed  Dutch  Churcli  at  the  Clove,  (Dutch, 

mortgage  was  foreclosed  after  he  had  ceased  to  minister  in  that 
place,  and  was  given  to  the  Church  for  a  parsonage." 

"  TJie  Dominie  was  once  summoned  across  the  Delaware  to  bless 
the  bands  of  holy  wedlock.  On  reaching  the  bridgeless  stream,  he 
found  that  a  great  freshet  had  rendered  it  wholly  unfordable.  In 
tliis  emergency,  the  candidates  for  matrimony  were  forced  to  take 
their  stand  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  to  give  ear  to  their  nuptial 
beuediction,  almost  drowned  as  it  was  by  the  hoarse  roar  of  the 
rushing  waters.  In  his  record  of  marriages  he  had  solemnized,  he 
was  wont  to  add  to  the  names  of  the  parties  what  he  quaintly 
phrases  the  '  time  of  execution  .' '" 

"  His  frugality  sometimes  displayed  itself  in  the  most  whimsical 
forms.  Among  his  other  oddities  was  what  might  be  called  an  an- 
cestral exactness  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  property.  Whether 
in  paying  or  receiving  money,  he  insisted  upon  'the  uttermost 
farthing,'  remarking  usually,  that  otherwise  the  account  could  never 
be  balanced.  He  carried  this  so  far  that,  in  settling  with  a  custom- 
er at  his  mill,  and  finding  that  he  owed  three  cents,  he  would  not 
be  satisfied  till  he  had  gone  to  his  house  for  the  coppers.  His  neigh, 
bor  in  vain  remonstrated  against  his  troubling  himself  about  such 
a  trifle,  and,  being  in  haste,  rode  ofl"  without  waiting  for  the  insig- 
nificant instalment.  The  Dominie  sent  a  negro  in  chase,  who  fol- 
lowed the  fugitive  creditor  seven  miles,  and  at  last  succeeded  in 
making  payment  in  full !  " 

"  His  sense  of  justice  was  so  keen,  that  he  could  not  bear  the  idea 
of  unrequited  labor;  and  during  his  last  sickness,  of  three  months' 
continuance,  he  insisted  every  morning  on  paying  a  day's  wages  in 
silver  to  each  of  the  neighbors  who  had  watched  by  his  bed-side. 


il 


74 


MEMOm   OF   THE 


Kloofs  signifying  a  valley  opened  or  cloven  by  a 
stream)  in  Snssex  county,  ]N"ew  Jersey,  made  a 
donation   to  the  Trustees  of  Queens,  now   Eutgers 

However  unwilling  they  might  be  to  receive  it,  lie  would  not  be 
pacified  till  they  had  received  their  fee." 

An  incident  which  strikingly  illustrates  Dominie  Van  Bunschoo- 
ten's  eccentricity,  and  at  the  same  time  throws  light  upon  the  origin 
of  the  Van  Bunschooten  Fund,  was  related  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin 
C.  Taylor,  of  Bergen,  New  Jersey,  in  a  speech  before  the  General 
Synod  at  its  last  session  in  Albany,  in  June,  1859.  Dr.  Taylor,  at 
the  solicitation  of  the  writer,  has  kindly  furnished  his  statement 
for  publication : 

"  At  the  session  of  til's  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  held  in  New  York  city  in  June,  1814,  the  Rev.  John  M. 
Bradford,  D.D.,  being  then  President  of  the  Synod,  a  venerable 
man  appeared,  dressed  in  antique  costume,  and  on  entering  the 
Synod  chamber,  holding  his  round-crowned  and  broad-brimmed  hat 
in  his  hand,  walked  calmly  up  the  aisle  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
President's  seat,  politely  bowing,  and  said,  ♦  Mr.  President,  I  want  to 
talk.*  The  President  asked  him,  '  Are  j'ou  a  member  of  this  Synod, 
sir?'  *No,  sir,'  was  the  reply,  '  but  I  want  to  talk,  sir.*  The  Presi- 
dent said  to  him,  *  None  but  members  of  this  body  can  be  permitted 
to  speak  here,  sir.' 

"  It  seemed  that  no  one  recognized  the  good  old  man,  when  just 
at  that  moment  the  Rev.  Peter  Labagh  entered  the  house,  and  hear- 
ing the  President's  refusal  to  suffer  the  venerable  man  to  speak,  and 
having  previously  been  invited  to  sit  as  an  advisory  member  of  the 
Synod,  immediately  said,  *  Mr.  President,  I  move  that  the  Rev.  Elias 
Van  Bunschooten  hav«  leave  to  talk.'  The  question  was  put  and 
carried. 

"Forthwith  the  generous  old  man  went  up  to  the  President's 


REV.  PETER  LABAGH,  D.D. 


75 


College,  amounting  to  §14,640,  to  be  devoted  to 
"the  support  and  education,  in  the  chissical  and 
theological  studies,  of  pious  youth,  who  hope  they 
have  a  call  of  God  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 

desk  and  drew  from  his  pocket  a  package  containing  bank  bills,  and 
began  to  count  them.  He  continued  until  he  sjiid,  '  Mr.  President, 
there  are  eight  hundred  dollars.'  He  then  took  from  his  pocket 
another  package  containing  certain  obligations  which  he  had  pre- 
pared to  the  amount  of  thirteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty 
dollars.  The  Synod  listened  attentively  as  he  followed  up  his  pow- 
erful, practical  talk,  and  stated  the  purposes  of  his  gift  to  the  Sy- 
nod, and  desired  a  committee  of  conference  to  be  appointed  to 
adjust  appropriately  the  arrangements  for  carrying  out  his  views  in 
regard  to  the  matter.  The  minutes  of  the  Synod  show  the  arrange- 
ments which  were  then  made. 

"Such  was  the  ever-to-be  remembered  Van  Bunschooten  Be- 
quest, augmented  by  subsequent  gifts  of  that  father  in  Israel,  speci- 
fied in  his  last  will  and  testament,  and  now  amounting  to  over 
twenty-thousand  dollars,  the  income  of  which  has  ever  been  ap- 
propriated as  directed  by  the  donor:  *  for  the  support  and  education 
in  the  classical  and  theological  studies  of  pious  youth  who  hope 
they  have  a  call  of  God  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.'  This 
was  at  that  day  a  great  '  talk*  indeed,  a  noble  act,  which  laid  broad 
foundations  on  which  have  been  reared  our  College  and  Theological 
Seminary. 

"  The  reverence  with  which  the  act  was  performed,  the  simplicity 
and  dignity  of  it,  and  the  joy  consequent  upon  it,  were  not  soon 
forgotten  by  the  nieml>ers  of  tli'at  General  Synod,  very  nearly  all 
of  whom  are  now  no  more  with  us,  but  have  passed  to  their  reward 
in  *  the  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.' 


Clirist."  This  sum  was  afterwards,  by  a  bequest 
contained  in  his  hist  will  and  testament,  increased  to 
upwards  of  $17,000.  In  1815  Mr.  Van  Bunscliooten 
died,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  burial 
irround  of  the  church  wliicii  he  liad  served  in  the 
ministry.  Two  years  after  this,  in  1817,  the  General 
Synod,  to  testity  its  gratitude  for  his  munificent  gift, 
and  its  respect  for  his  memory,  appointed  a  commit- 
tee to  superintend  the  removal  of  his  remains  to  the 
cemeterv  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  New 
Brunswick,  and  to  procure  the  erection  of  a  suitable 
monument  to  designate  his  grave.  That  committee 
consisted  of  the  Rev.  Professor  John  II.  Livingston, 
D.D.,  the  Rev.  Peter  Labagh,  and  the  Rev.  Charles 

•*  Let  the  memory  of  this  transaction  be  precious,  an<l  when  the 
donor's  request  is  complied  with,  tiiat  hi^  bequest  be  read  at  the 
stated  sessions  of  our  Classes,  Particular  and  General  Synods,  let 
it  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  is  to  be  done  '  not  for  aggrandizement 
or  self-ostentation,  but  to  be  an  humlde  pattern  for  others  to  copy 
after:  if  the  thing  being  so  kept  alive  and  considered,  who  knows 
whether  God,  in  his  good  providence,  would  not  move  some  to  do 
the  like?'" 

This  incident,  originally  related  by  Dr  John  M.  Bradford,  Pre- 
sident of  the  Synod,  was  afterwards  fully  authenticated  by  Dr.  La- 
bagh. It  was  also  stated  by  Dr.  Labagh,  that  the  formal  document 
signed  by  Mr  Van  Bunscliooten,  and  now  known  as  the  "  Bequest," 
was  drawn  up  by  the  Hon.  Abraham  Van  Vechten,  L  L.D.,  an  elder 
from  the  Classis  of  Albany. 


Ilardenbergli,  then  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  of  Bedminster,  Xew  Jersey. 

The  duties  of  the  committee  were  performed 
chiefly  by  Mr.  Labagh.  lie  proceeded  to  the  Clove, 
and  had  the  remains  of  the  departed  patriarch  ex- 
humed. AVhile  the  workmen  were  in  the  act  of  dis- 
interring them,  an  event  occurred  which  imparted  to 
the  transaction  a  solemnity  and  consequence  which 
were  as  salutary  as  they  were  unexpected.  A  crowd 
of  persons,  some  of  them  members  of  the  Church, 
others  only  attendants  at  its  worship  without  being 
in  its  communion,  were  drawn  together  as  spectators 
of  the  scene.  Among  them  was  an  unconverted 
woman,  of  entire  respectability,  who  had  for  years 
sat  under  the  ministry  of  him  whose  remains  were 
now  about  to  be  removed  to  another  and  a  distant 
place  of  rest.  She  regarded  the  progress  of  the  work 
with  great  interest.  Iler  memory  was  awakened. 
The  past,  with  its  opportunities  of  mercy,  which  she 
had  abused,  and  with  the  faithful  teachings  of  her 
departed  pastor,  which  she  had  disregarded,  came 
back  upon  her  mind  with  overwhelming  power.  As 
she  saw  the  coffin  lifted  from  the  grave,  she  uttered  a 
cry  of  anguish,  and  became  almost  helpless  from  the 
violence  of  her  feelings.  The  truth  which  had  been 
preached  to  her,  years  before,  at  length  sprang  up  in 
life,  like  seed  long  buried,  and  yielded   its   appro- 


priate  fruits.  It  was  nearly  a  year,  however,  before, 
"being  justified  by  faith,  she  found  peace  with  God 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Mr.  Labagh  prosecuted  his  task,  and  in  due  time 
reported  to  the  Synod  that  he  had  fully  executed  the 
duties  devolved  upon  him. 

About  the  year  1815,  or  181(5,  the  project  of  es- 
tablishing Sunday  schools  for  the  special  purpose 
of  instructing  the  young  in  biblical  and  religious 
truth  began  to  engage  the  serious  attention  and 
efforts  of  Mr.  Labagh.  It  is  not  pretended,  of  course, 
that  the  idea  originated  with  him.  With  whom  it 
did  originate,  the  writer  is  not  able  to  say.  It  has 
often  been  stated,  and  quite  generally  supposed,  that 
it  had  its  origin  in  1782,  in  the  mind  of  Eobert 
Eaikes,  Esq.,  of  Gloucester,  England.  But  this  is, 
undoubtedly,  a  great  mistake. 

As  early  as  the  year  1527,  schools  for  religious  in- 
struction, on  the  Lord's  Day,  were  established  in 
Germany  through  the  instrumentality  of  Luther  and 
Melancthon.  We  are  informed  by  President  Sears, 
of  Brown  University,  that  "  there  were  regular  Sun- 
day schools  then,  (in  1527),  as  now,  only  the  teachers 
were  the  same  as  on  other  days  of  the  week.  The 
pupils  were,  early  on  Lord's  Day  mornings,  con- 
ducted to  the  church  for  the  matins,  as  all  such 
morning   services   were  called.     Kext,  they  had  a 


lesson  from  the  Bible,  or  the  catechism  in  the  school 
room.  At  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock  tliey  attended  on 
the  principal  service  of  tlie  day.  Sometimes,  the 
younger  classes  remained  at  the  school  room,  where 
they  received  religious  instruction  better  adapted  to 
their  capacities  than  that  given  in  the  pulpit.  The 
older  pupils  were  carefully  examined  upon  the  ser- 
mons which  thev  had  heard.  The  order  was  varied 
in  different  schools,  as  well  as  tlie  exercises  them- 
selves ;  but  the  above  general  statement  is  suffi- 
ciently accurate  to  illustrate  the  way  in  which  the 
day  was  passed  in  the  schools.  From  all  this,  it  will 
appear  that  the  nineteenth  century  has  made  less 
advance  than  is  commonly  supposed  upon  the  six- 
teenth, in  respect  to  the  religious  education  of  the 
young.  In  respect  to  books  and  organizations,  there 
is  a  great  difference ;  in  respect  to  the  thing  itself, 
the  object  sought,  the  comparison  would  not  be  dis- 
creditable to  the  Ilefornier.'"* 

Similar  schools  were  organized  at  a  later  day, 
though  at  least  twenty  years  prior  to  those  of  Robert 
Eaikes,  by  Stouber,  the  ])redecessor  of  Oberlin,  as 
pastor  of  the  Ban  de  la  Eoche,  (District  of  the  Eock), 
or,  as  the  Germans  called  it,  the  Stein-thal,  (Stone 
Dale),  in  the  north-east  of  France.  He  established  a 
remilar  system  of  instruction   for   adnlts  durinir   a 

*  Life  of  Luther,  chap.  v.  sec.  iii. 


80 


JiIEMOIR   OF   THE 


part  of  the  Sabbath,  and  tlie  good  work  which  he 
thus  commenced,  Oberlin,  who  succeeded  him  in 
ITGT,  carried  i'orward  on  a  larger  scale,  and  with 
great  success.  AVhile  Oberlin  was  pastor,  there  were 
in  the  district  not  <»idy  Sunday  schools,  but  also 
infant  schools,  whicli  it  has  been  supposed,  were  the 
first  ever  known.'- 

Tlie  first  permanent  Sunday  school  organization  in 
the  United  States  was  established  in  Philadelphia,  in 
January,  1701.  The  teachers  enndoved  by  it  were 
paid  for  their  services.  The  institution  ceased  to  be 
operative  in  ISIO.  The  New  York  Sunday  School 
Union  began  its  existence  in  February,  1S16,  and 
was  foUow^ed  by  the  Philadelphia  Sunday  and  Adult 
School  Union,  in  May,  1817.  In  accordance  with  a 
suiTirestion  from  the  Society  in  Xew^  York,  tlie  two 
were  united  in  Mav,  1824,  under  tlie  title  of  the 
American  Sunday  School  Tnion.  That  or<::aHization, 
which  is  still  prosecuting  witli  vigor  and  success  its 
lal)or6  of  love  in  behalf  of  the  children,  has  indeed 
proved  a  fountain  *'the  streams  whereof  have  ma<le 
glad  the  city  of  God.'^ 

The  subject  of  Sunday  school  instruction  began  to 
awaken  a  practical  interest  in  Somerset  county  about 
the  same  time  that  it  did  in  Philadelphia  and  New 
York.     The  earliest  schools  that  were  oro-anized  in 


*  LfFe  of  ()l»erliii,  chapters  i.  and  v. 


KEV.    TETER   LABAGH,   D.D. 


81 


the  county  w^ere  probably  those  of  Somerville  and 
Ilarlingen  ;  but  to  which  of  the  two  the  priority 
ought  to  be  assigned,  it  is  not  easy  to  deternune.  It 
is  not  unlikely  that  their  origin  w^as  very  nearly 
cotemporaneous.  The  school  at  Somerville  was  es- 
tablished about  the  year  1816  or  1817,  by  Mrs.  John 
S.  Yredenbergh,*  wife  of  the  ])astor  of  the  Keformed 
Dutch  Church  of  Raritan,  and  Mrs.  Andrew^  Howell, 
and  was  known  by  the  name  of  the  Charity  scliooL 
Up  to  1832  it  continued  under  the  care  of  the  female 
association  to  which  it  owed  its  origin,  and  during  a 

*  Mrs.  Vredenbergli  was  the  daugliter  of  the  Rev.  James  Caldwell 
of  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  who,  with  his  wife,  was  murdered, 
by  the  British,  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  mother 
of  Mrs,  Elizabeth  Vredenbergh  Freeman,  who,  with  her  husband, 
and  six  other  American  missionaries,  and  two  children,  was  also 
murdered  by  the  sepoys,  at  Cawnporo,  India,  during  the  great 
rebellion.  Mrs.  Vredenbergh's  father  and  mother  were  martyrs  to 
the  cause  of  American  Independence,  and  her  son-in-law  and  daugh- 
ter were  martyrs  to  the  still  nobler  cause  of  Christ.  It  is  a  singu- 
lar fact  that  they  all  fell  by  the  same  instrument  of  death.  Mrs 
Caldwell  was  shot  through  the  window  of  a  room  to  which  she  had 
retired  with  her  children  for  safety  and  prayer,  June  25,  1780,  and 
Mr.  Caldwell  was  shot  while  walking  from  the  landing  at  Elizabeth- 
town  Point,  November  24,  1781.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freeman,  in  com- 
pany with  their  fellow  missionaries,  were  marched  out  to  the 
parade  ground  at  Cawnpore,  at  seven  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of 
June  13,  1857,  and  deliberately  shot  down  in  cold  blood  by  a 
detachment  of  sepoy  soldiers. 

4-^ 


82 


MEMOIR    OF   THE 


part  of  tliat  time,  at  least,  tlie  teacliers  were  paid  for 
the  instruction  which  they  there  gave  to  the  children 
of  the  poor. 

The  schools  established  in  the  Ilarlingen  congre- 
gation were  the  fruits  of  Mr.  Labaglrs  personal  exer- 
tions. The  first  one,  probably,  was  organized  in  the 
spring  of  1S17.  Strange  as  it  may  appear  at  the 
present  day,  there  was  so  much  opposition  to  the 
proposed  plan  of  gathering  the  young  into  a  school 
for  religious  instruction  on  the  Sabbath,  that  the  ma- 
jority even  of  church  members  would  not  allow  their 
children  to  attend.  Notwithstanding  the  objections 
that  were  oiiered,  the  number  of  scholars  during  the 
first  season  was  large,  but  composed  principally  of 
colored  people  of  all  ages,  many  of  whom  came  a 
great  distance  that  they  might  learn  to  read  the  word 
of  God.  The  school  was  held  in  the  church  for 
about  a  year,  when  complaints  began  to  be  made  that 
the  hymn  books  were  injured  by  the  scholars.  It 
was  then  deemed  advisable  to  withdraw  to  the  school 
house,  which  was  accordin^lv  done.  It  was  not 
qnite  so  easy,  however,  to  escape  the  spirit  of  oppo- 
sition. It  followed  them  ;  and  soon  it  was  alleged 
that  the  school  books  were  soiled  and  thrown  about 
in  disorder;  whereupon,  a  certain  trustee  of  the 
school  district,  who  "feared  not  God,  neither  re- 
garded man,"  locked  the  door  of  the  school  house, 


1* 

i 

i 


and  left  the  Sunday  school  to  find  accommodations 
as  best  it  might.  The  week  before  this  occurrence 
took  ])lace,  there  had  been  a  celebration  of  the  Fourth 
of  July  at  Harlino^en,  in  the  ii^rove  near  the  church. 
Arbors  had  been  erected,  and  seats  placed  in  them, 
for  the  use  of  those  who  attended  the  celebration. 
To  these  the  teachers  now  resorted  with  their  scholars, 
and,  in  their  cooling  sliade,  spent  the  usual  time  in 
imparting  tlie  knowledge  of  those  tilings  which  per- 
tain to  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  The  exclusion  from 
the  school  house  was  an  act  of  malice,  which,  though 
intended  for  evil,  resulted  in  good.  It  rendered  it 
necessary  at  length  for  the  Sunday  school  to  apply 
to  the  Consistory,  the  only  other  available  resort,  for 
permission  to  occupy  their  room,  which  was  at  once 
and  very  cordially  granted.  A  permanent  place 
was  thus  secured  in  which  the  school  ever  after  con- 
tinued to  meet  without  fear  of  molestation. 

After  tlie  organization  of  the  school  at  the  church, 
which  was  the  central  point  of  the  congregation, 
others  were  successively  established  on  the  outskirts, 
at  Griggstown,  in  the  northern  district,  and  at  Plain- 
ville.  But  they  all  sufiered,  in  a  greater  or  less  de- 
gree, from  the  same  spirit  of  opposition  which  had 
been  evoked  at  Ilarlingen.  Many  good  men,  who 
were  in  comfortable  circumstances  and  highly  re- 
spectable, looking  upon  the  schools  as  institutions  of 


■■^SSS&mikMMMlBy 


8i 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


mere  charity,  would  not  give  their  cliiUh'en  permis- 
sion to  attend.  Time  and  the  ntility  of  the  enter- 
prise,  liowover,  at  length  coiKjuered  tlieir  prejndices, 
and  the  ISimday  schools  heeame  triumpliant. 

For  a  niniiber  of  years  they  were,  for  the  most 
part,  supplied  with  sn]>erintendents  by  the  students 
in  tlie  Tlieolojrieal  Seminary  at  Princeton.  The 
course  of  instruction  was  simple,  though  well  a<lai)ted 
to  the  purpose  for  which  the  schools  were  esta])lished. 
The  smaller  childien  were  taui^ht  the  elements  of 
reading,  those  farther  advanced  were  drilled  in  the 
catechism,  and  all,  who  were  of  com])etent  age  and 
ability,  had  ])ortions  of  Scripture  assigned  them,  to 
be  committed  to  memory  duriiiir  the  week.  What- 
ever  may  be  said  of  Sumlav  schools  as  they  are 
now  conducted,  with  their  superior  facilities  in  the 
way  of  union  (pU'Stions  and  l)Ooks  of  reference,  one 
thing  is  certain,  that  the  amount  of  pure  and  simple 
Scripture,  now  imbedded  in  the  minds  of  tlie  scholars, 
is  not  so  great  as  it  was  when  whole  chapters  were 
recited  in  succession,  word  for  word.  There  were  in- 
stances in  which  the  scholars  repeated  from  memory 
the  whole  of  the  four  Gospels.  The  libraries  were, 
of  course,  very  limited.  Their  extent  may  easily  be 
estimated  fr()m  the  fact  that  on  the  Sabbath  the  su- 
perintendent, or  one  of  the  teachers,  usually  carried 
them  to  the  school  in  a  small  basket. 


In  the  year  1S32,  a  short  time  after  the  great  re- 
vival, of  which  an  account  will  be  given  hereafter, 
it  was  thought  best  to  reorganize  the  schools,  and 
conduct  them  on  a  somewhat  dilierent  i>lan.  It  w^as 
felt  to  be  desiralde  that  the  woi'kinu'  force  of  the 
Church  should  be  called  into  more  eai'uest  action. 
In  compliance  with  Mr.  LabaglTs  suggestion,  super- 
intendents were  selected  from  the  cono-rea'ation,  a 
hoard  of  nnmagers  was  chosen  in  each  of  the  dis- 
tricts, and  a  concei-t  of  prayer  for  Sunday  schools 
was  appointed  to  be  held  on  the  second  Monday  of 
each  month.  The  iniluence  of  the  revival  upon  the 
general  interests  and  efficiency  of  the  schools  w\as 
most  cheering.  The  Spirit  of  God  had  accomplished 
in  a  day  what  all  the  arguments  and  persuasions  of 
years  had  failed  to  effect.  The  opposition  fell  dead, 
as  if  struck  by  the  lightning  of  heaven,  and  the  peo- 
ple with  one  mind  buried  it  in  a  grave  so  deep  that 
the  hand  of  resurrection  has  never  since  been  able  to 
find  it.  It  ^yas  a  burial  that  broudit  no  tears  to  the 
eye,  unless  they  were  tears  of  joy,  and  caused  no 
niv)urners  to  go  about  the  streets.  It  -was  the  opening 
of  a  bright  and  glorious  day.  The  Holy  Ghost  touch- 
ed the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  the  objections  wdiich 
till  then  appeared  so  formidable  and  vast,  disappear- 
ed, like  the  specters  of  a  troubled  dream  when  one 
awaketh.     The  Sunday  school  put  on  a  new  aspect. 


KliiiSsE 


KEY.    PETER    LABAGH,    D.D. 


87 


The  parents  suddeiilj  lost  their  scruples  about  allow- 
ing their  children  to  attend.  Tlie  scholars  came  in 
crowds.  The  ranks  of  the  teachers  were  tilled.  Young 
men  and  maidens,  and  even  the  veteran,  gray  haired 
disciple,  who  had  been  educated  in  the  habits  of  a 
generation  gone  by,  were  not  only  willing,  l)ut 
anxious  to  come  into  the  schools,  and  assume  the  re- 
sponsibility of  there  instructing  the  young  in  the 
knowledo^e  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Those  who  had 
been  the  strongest  opponents  of  the  Sunday  school, 
were  now  its  most  ardent  and  steadfast  friends.  It 
was  a  long  struggle,  but  the  scale  of  victory  turned 
at  last  to  the  side  of  truth.  So,  does  God  assure  us 
in  his  word,  it  shall  ever  l)e. 

Mr.  Labairh  was  often  a  member  of  the  General 

CI? 

Synod,  and  always  a  useful  member.  He  frequently 
bore  a  prominent  and  decisive  part  in  the  delibera- 
tions of  that  body,  and  rarely  failed  to  impress  his 
brethren,  whether  in  general  debate  or  in  the  more 
retired  discussions  of  the  committee  room,  with  his 
prompt  sagacity  and  sound  judgment  in  disposing  of 
the  business  before  them.  The  high  estimate  put 
upon  his  counsels  will  be  readily  inferred  from  the 
fact  that  he  was  frequently  called  to  serve  on  the 
more  important  committees  of  the  Synod. 

It  was  to  him,  in  connection  with  Drs.  Gosman 
and  Sickles,  assisted  by  two  worthy  laymen,  that  the 


General  Synod  of  1820  i-eferred,  for  the  purpose  of 
inquiry  and  consideration,  the  report  of  the  "  com- 
mittee aj^pointed  by  Synod  to  confer  with  a  commit- 
tee of  the  Associate  Eeformed  Church,  on  the  subject 
of  a  union  of  the  two  Churches." 

For  a  number  of  years  this  question  of  union  had 
engaged  the  attention    of  leading  men  in  both  de- 
nominations.    As  early  as  1802  the  Eev.  Ebenezer 
Dickey  had  written  to  Dr.  Mason,  from  Philadelphia, 
suggesting  as  a  matter  for  consideration  the  propriety 
of  a  union  between  the  Associate  Eeformed  Synod 
and    the    General   Assembly   of  the   Presbyterian 
Church.     The  disposition  to  draw  more  closely  the 
bonds  of  Christian  fellowship,  among  the  several  ec- 
clesiastical bodies  that  were  formed  on  the  principles 
of  Presbyterian  order,  gradually  increased  in  strength 
until,  in  1816,  Dr.  Mason,  who  was  ever  distinguish- 
ed for  his  large  and  catholic  spirit,  offered,  in  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Associate  Eeformed  Church, 
a  resolution,  which  was  seconded  by  Dr.  Alexander 
Proudfit,  that  commissioners    be  appointed   on  the 
part  of  that  Synod  to  meet  with  commissioners  to  be 
appointed  on  the  part  of  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Eeformed  Dutch  Church,  if  it  should  be  accreeable 
to  that  body,  "  for  the  purpose  of  considering  wheth- 
er any,  and  if  any,  what  measures  may  be  adopted 
for  extending  the  good  understanding  happily  sub- 


88 


MEMOIR  ()K  Tin: 


REV.    PETER    LABAGH,  D.D. 


89 


sisting  between  the  two  Churches;  and  tor  combining 
their  efforts  in  some  efficient  cooperation  for  promot- 
ing the  interests  of   the  liedeemer's  kingdom  ;  and 
jj      tJiat  the  said  commissioners  re])ort  their  proceedings 
j     in  the  premises  to  this  Synod  at  its  next  meeting." 

The  resohition  was  nnanimonslv  carried,  and  com- 

II     missioners  were  accordingly  appointed,  consisting  of 

Dr.  John  M.  ^lason,  Dr.  Alexander  Proudtit,  and  the 

Rev.    Ebenezer  Dickev,    with  the  rulino:  elders,  Jo- 

sepli  Nourse  and  Ebenezer  Clark. 

A  communication  to  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,  drawn  up  by  Dr.  Mason, 
was  also  adopted,  and  ordered  to  be  transmitted  to 
that  reverend  body.     It  is  as  follows : 

"  To  the  Iveverend  Praeses  and  members  of  the  Gen- 
eral Synod  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  ;  the 
General  Svnod  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church 
wish  grace,  mercy  and  peace  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ : 

'"  Reverend  and  beloved  Brethren  :  In  considering 
tlie  signs  of  the  times,  and  their  aspect  towards  the 
kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  we  have  been 
forcibly  impressed,  not  oidy  with  the  desirableness, 
but  also  with  the  necessity,  of  a  public  cooperation, 
in  counsel  and  action,  by  those  Churches  wliose  rela- 
tive circumstances  render  it  practicable.     And  we 


have  thought  that  with  the  good  liand  of  our  God 
upon  us,  it  may  perhai)s  be  effected  between  your 
Cliurches  and  ours  with  mutual  benefit,  and  to  ihe 
irlory  of  His  blessed  name.  We  are,  and  alwavs 
have  been  one,  in  the  doctrine  which  is  according  to 
o'odliness.  Our  fathers,  in  those  searching:  times 
when  the  faithful  were  called  to  endure,  for  the  elect's 
sake,  bonds  and  imprisomnent,  and  even  to  the  testi- 
mony of  their  blood,  were  hearty  and  generous  sup- 
]^orters  of  each  other.  Their  descendants,  to  this 
hour,  have  obtained  mercy  to  abide  in  the  old  paths, 
tlie  good  wav  wherein  thev  walked,  and  found  rest 
to  their  souls.  We  have  ourselves  lived  in  harmony; 
our  intercourse  unimbittered  with  collision  and  strife; 
and  have  been  enabled,  in  a  comfortable  degree,  to 
exemplity  that  divine  declaration.  Behold  how  good 
and  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in 
unity  !  Our  Churches  have  enjoyed  hitherto  the  sin- 
gular favor  of  exemption  from  the  contamination  of 
false  doctrine.  These  things,  added  to  the  loud  call 
of  God  our  Saviour  to  contend  earnestlv  for  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints,  have  turned  our  reirards 
in  an  especial  manner  to  you,  and  have  excited  a 
hope  that  such  an  understanding  and  concurrence 
may  be  prc^duced,  as  shall  redound  to  the  greater 
advancement  of  His  grace  and  truth. 

"In  order  to  ascertain  this  ])oint,  we  have  judged 


iiti 


it  to  be  our  duty,  reverend  and  honored,  to  propose 
an  appointment  of  commissioners  from  our  two 
General  Synods,  to  meet  and  consult  on  tliis  interest- 
ing subject ;  and  we  do  most  respectfully  and  affec- 
tionately crave  your  agreement  thereto.  In  which 
case  we  have  chosen  our  reverend  and  respected 
brethren,  Mr.  Ebenezer  Dickev,  Dr.  Alexander 
Proudlit,  and  Dr.  John  M.  Mason,  Ministers ;  to- 
gether with  Mr.  Joseph  Xourse  and  Mr.  Ebenezer 
Clark,  Baling  Elders,  as  commissioners  on  our  part, 
to  meet  with  such  commissioners  as  you  may  be 
pleased  to  appoint,  in  the  city  of  Xew  York,  on 
Tliursday,  the  thirteenth  day  of  June  next ;  which 
will  further  appear  by  extracts  from  our  minutes 
herewith  transmitted. 

"Reverend  and  honored:  Our  hearts'  desire  and 
prayer  is,  that  our  heavenly  Father  may  continue 
among  you,  in  its  purity  and  power,  that  holy  truth 
of  His  which  has  been  vour  inlieritance  for  ao-es. 
that  He  would  bless  you  and  keep  you,  that  He 
would  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  you,  and  give 
you  abundance  of  peace ;  and  that  He  wonld  so  di- 
rect our  counsels,  and  influence  our  hearts,  as  that 
we  may  rejoice  together  in  a  holy  concert,  as  fellow- 
workers  witli  Him. 

''In  tlie  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  General 
Synod  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Churcli." 


The  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church 
received  this  communication  with  the  most  cordial 
sentiments  of  Christian  affection,  and,  in  compliance 
with  its  suggestions,  appointed  commissioners  for 
the  purpose  designated,  consisting  of  Drs.  John  H. 
Livingston,  Solomon  Froeligh,  and  James  S.  Cannon, 
with  the  elders  Henry  Rutgers  and  James  Striker. 

These  commissioners  met  in  the  city  of  ^ew 
York  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  June,  1816,  and  were 
organized  for  the  transaction  of  business  by  the  elec- 
tion of  Dr.  Livingston  as  president,  and  Dr.  Mason 
as  secretary.  After  mature  consideration  they  adopt- 
ed the  following  articles,  to  be  submitted  to  their  re- 
spective Synods : 

"  1.  The  Reformed  Dutch  Church  and  the  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  Church,  being  bound  by  the  strong- 
est ties  of  fidelity  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
summarily  exhibited  in  their  respective  Confessions 
of  Faith,  do  hereby  most  distinctly  recognize  the 
obligation  to  maintain  that  truth  so  exhibited  ;  and 
do  pledge  themselves  to  each  other,  as  brethren  in 
the  Lord,  not  to  allow  any  doctrine  subversive  there- 
of, or  contrary  thereto,  to  be  preached  in  any  of  their 
congregations,  and  to  give  each  other  every  aid  and 
assistance  in  their  power,  in  this  good  and  holy  work. 

"  2.  The  two  Churches  agree  to  receive  their  re- 
spective ministers,  candidates  for  the  ministry,  and 


92 


IklKMoIR    OF   THE 


tll'i 


private  members,  to  free  and  full  coimimnion,  as  tlie 
Lord  shall  otier  opportunity;  allowing  their  ministers 
and  eandidates  for  the  ministry  to  preach,  when  prop- 
erly invited,  in  their  congreijat ions  settled  or  vacant, 
and  admitting  them,  as  well  as  the  private  members 
of  the  two  Churches,  to  sacramental  fellowship.  But 
in  order  to  prevent  imposition  and  irregularity,  they 
further  agree  to  intVu-m  each  other  of  the  manner  in 
which  ministers,  probationers,  and  private  members, 
are  accredited  ;  and  to  furnish  and  accept  credentials 
and  certificates,  which  shall  correspond  with  the 
forms  to  be  i-espectively  connnunicated. 

"3.  The  two  Churches  shall  not  interfere  directly 
or  indirectly  with  their  government  or  order  respec- 
tively, but  will  strengthen  each  others  hands  by  dis- 
countenancing and  refusing  all  applications  which 
may  be  made  to  them  by  ministers,  probationers,  or 
private  members  from  eithei-,  unless  regularly  ac- 
credited by  the  other,  according  to  the  tenor  of  the 
preceding  article. 

"4.  Vacancies  shall  be  at  liberty  to  call  ministers 
from  either  of  the  Churches  according  to  the  order  es- 
tablished in  that  Church  from  which  he  may  be  called ; 
he  conforming  himself  to  the  order  of  the  Church  to 
which  he  maybe  called.  And  in  case  of  a  conirreo-a- 
tion  being  tormed  of  people  from  l)oth,  it  shall  be  at  lib- 
erty to  put  itself  under  the  care  of  either  at  its  option. 


i! 


1 1 
1 1 


"5.  The  General  Synods  of  the  two  Churches  shall 
form  and  maintain  a  regular  and  constant  correspond- 
ence with  each  other,  by  the  mission  of  two  ministers 
and  two  elders  from  each  to  the  other;  who  shall  be 
affectionately  received,  and  always  honored,  respect- 
ively as  members  enjoying  a  right  to  deliberate  and 
advise  upon  avery  question,  but  not  to  vote  upon  any. 

"The  Convention  have  also  had  under  considera- 
tion the  subject  of  the  theological  education  of  the 
ministry  of  the  two  Churches.  But  considering  the 
magnitude  of  the  questions  Avhich  it  involves,  they 
would  merely  present  it  to  the  view  of  the  two 
Churches,  as  of  an  interest  sufficient  to  command 
their  most  serious  regard,  with  a  view^  to  such  mea- 
sures as,  after  the  most  mature  reflection,  may  be 
found  best  calculated  to  promote  the  common  benefit. 

"xVU  which  is  respectfully  submitted  to  the  Gene- 
ral Synods  of  the  Keformed  Dutcli,  and  the  Associate 
lieformed  Churches,  respectively. 

"  Done  at  New  York,  June  14,  1816." 

This  document  was  signed  by  J.  H.  Livingston, 
Solomon  Froeligh,  Jas.  S.  Cannon,  Henry  Eutgers, 
James  Striker,  J.  M.  Mason,  Alex'r  Proudfit,  Eben'r 
Dickey,  Joseph  Nourse,  and  Ebenezer  Clark.* 

*See  Memoirs  of  Jolin  M.  Mason,  D.D.,  by  his  son-in-law,  Dr. 
Van  Veehten,  of  Albany,  and  Minutes  of  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Ilefcrnied  Dutch  <  hurcli. 


I 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


95 


Tlie  attempt  tlnis  made  to  bring  the  two  Churclies 
into  a  closer  relation,  was  followed,  in  1820,  by  a 
further  effort  in  the  same  direction.  The  object  iu 
view  in  1816,  appears  to  have  been  the  establishment 
of  a  fraternal  correspondence,  by  the  mutual  attend- 
ance of  delecrates  from  one  Svnod  at  the  sessions  of 
the  other.  The  object  in  1820,  extending  beyond 
this,  seems  to  have  comprehended  the  actual  union 
of  the  two  denominations,  and  their  consolidation 
into  one.  At  the  General  Svnod  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church,  held  in  June,  1820,  a  communication 
was  received  from  the  Synod  of  the  Associate  Re- 
formed Church,  proposing  a  union,  and,  to  that  end, 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  of  conference,  to 
meet  a  similar  committee  from  the  Associate  Re- 
formed Synod,  for  the  purpose  of  deliberating  and 
deciding  upon  the  terms  upon  which  such  union 
might  be  effected.  The  committee  was  accordingly 
appointed,  and  the  conference  took  place  in  the  city 
of  [N'ew  York,  on  the  20th  of  June,  1820.  At  the 
session  of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church,  in  October  following,  the  com- 
mittee appointed  by  that  body  reported  that  the 
united  committees  from  the  two  Synods  had,  in 
their  conference  on  the  twentieth  of  June,  agreed 
upon  the  terms  of  union,  which  they  then  sub- 
mitted for  the  action  of  Synod.      The  plan  adopted 


for  the   consolidation   of  the   two  bodies   was   the 
following : 

"  1.  The  two  Churches  to  be  united  under  the  style 
and  title  of  ^The  Reformed  Protestant  Church  in 
!N^orth  Amei'ica.' 

"  2.  The  Confessions  of  Faith  and  Catechisms  are 
acknowledged  to  be  equally  pure,  and  may  either  of 
them  be  used  by  Churches  or  individuals,  at  option. 

"  3.  The  government  of  the  Church  shall  be  ad- 
ministered by  Consistories,  Classes  and  Synods. 

''  4.  The  worship  of  the  Church  shall  be  conducted 
in  the  order  heretofore  in  use  in  either  of  the 
Churches,  at  the  option  of  the  congregation. 

"5.  The  old  version  of  the  Psalms,  commonly 
called  the  Scots  Version,  or  the  Psalms  and  Hymns 
authorized  in  the  Dutch  Church,  shall  be  used  ac- 
cording to  the  preference  of  each  particular  congre- 
gation. 

"  6.  The  usages  and  customs  of  the  Churches  shall 
be  left  free,  and  not  be  meddled  with  in  any  thing 
which  does  not  clash  Avith  general  edification. 

"  7.  The  Theological  Seminaries  of  the  two  Churches 
ought  to  be  consolidated. 

"  8.  A  committee  from  each  General  Synod  shall 
be  appointed  to  prepare  from  the  different  books  of 
government  and  discipline  of  the  two  Churches,  a 
system  for  their  common  regulation  ;  care  being  ta- 


:ii 


96 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


ken  to  admit  as  few  alterations  as  may  be  compati- 
ble witli  tlieir  actual  circiimstaiices." 

Tliis  document  was  siii;ned  by  J.  M.  Bradford,  Pas- 
chal ]N^.  Strong,  John  II.  Livingston,  Henry  II utgers, 
and  Cornelius  Ileyer,  from  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Cliurch ;  and  bv  John  M.  Mason,  Robert  B.  E. 
McLeod,  Peter  MeCartee  and  Silas  E.  Weir,  from 
the  Associate  Ileformed  Church. 

The  whole  subject  was  referred  by  General  Synod 
to  a  committee,  of  whicli,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
Mr.  Labagh  was  a  member.  The  committee,  during 
the  same  session,  subuiitted  their  report,  which  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  following  terms  : 

"The  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  propo- 
sals of  a  union  between  the  Associate  Reformed 
Clnirch  and  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  as  adopted 
by  the  commissioners  a|)pointed  by  the  respective 
Synods,  beg  leave  to  rei)ort, 

''That  they  have  considered  the  subject  referred 
to  then),  and  view  it  as  a  measure  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  })eace  and  future  prosperity  of  the 
Church.  Whatever  has  a  tendency  to  unite  the 
eftbrts  of  the  Church  of  God,  glorifies  the  Redeemer, 
and  is  therefore  an  object  of  great  importance. 

"As  to  the  advantages  whicli  may  result  from  the 
proposed  union,  from  the  consideration  that  there  is  a 
cordial  agreement  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  of 


KEY.    PETEK    LABAGH,    D.D. 


97 


L; 


Christ,  and  a  disposition  has  been  evinced  to  yield 
minor  differences,  and  that  by  combining  the  resources 
of  the  two  denominations,  additional  means  might  be 
furnished  for  the  extension  of  our  boundary,  and 
thus  a  weight  given  us  in  the  Christian  Church, 
which,  in  a  detached  state,  we  do  not  possess ;  how- 
ever important  in  a  decision  on  the  terms  of  union, 
your  committee  do  not  deem  it  proper  to  express  an 
opinion :  viewing  it  as  a  matter  of  deep  interest  to 
the  Churches,  they  submit  to  Synod  the  following 
resolution : 

'' Bcsolved^  That  the  terms  of  union  as  agreed  upon 
between  the  commissioners  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  and  the  Associate  Reformed  Church,  be 
transmitted  to  the  Classes  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
this  Synod,  for  their  consideration  and  approbation, 
and  that  they  report  to  the  next  ordinary  meeting 
of  the  General  Svnod." 

To  the  success  of  the  movement  thus  inaugurated, 
in  the  most  fraternal  and  catholic  spirit,  and  with  a 
view  to  a  more  efficient  cooperation  in  promoting 
the  advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  there 
were  obstacles  which  could  not  well  be  surmounted. 
The  effort  failed,  and  although  the  union  never  took 
place,  the  two  Churches  continued,  as  they  had  done 
before,  to  regard  each  other  witli  the  sincerest  senti- 
ments of  Christian  sympathy  and  affection. 

5 


.  »i»MiiByiiijiiih'iwliiliiIi}i>ii 


'IIjMj! 


I 


CIIAPTEE   YI. 

Death  of  Mr.  Labagii's  Colleague,  the  Rev.  William  R.  i^nnu  — 
Funeral  —  Sermon  by  Mr.  Labagu  —  JHote :  Additional  State- 
ments IN  regard  to  Mr.  Smith  —  Dissolution  of  the  Colle- 
giate Relation  between  the  Churches  of  Shannock  and  Harlin- 
GEN  —  Mr.  Labagh  accepts  a  Call  to  Harlingen  —  Farewell 
Sermon  at  Shannock  —  Modern  Improvements. 

The  relation  which  Mr.  Labagh  had  sustained,  for 
nearly  eleven  years,  to  his  venerable  colleague,  the 
Iwcv.  William  E.  Smith,  in  the  pastorate  of  the  two 
Churches  of  Shannock  and  Harlingen,  was  termi- 
nated by  the  death  of  tlie  latter  in  the  early  part 
of  1820.  For  live  years  previous  to  his  decease, 
Mr.  Smith  had  been  disqualified,  by  paralysis,  for 
the  performance  of  his  accustomed  ministerial  duties. 
The  service  of  ^he  Churches,  during  this  protracted 
illness,  rested  solely  upon  Ish:  Labagh,  and  required 
from  him  an  amount  of  care  and  labor  which  a  con- 
stitution less  hardy  could  scarcely  have  been  able  to 
endure.     On  the  23d  of  February,  1820,  the  trials 


'I 


t 


REV.    PETER    LABAGH,    D.D. 


101 


and  sufferings  of  the  aged  servant  of  Christ  were 
niercifully  brought  to  an  end,  and  liis  spirit  was  dis- 
missed, we  cannot  doubt,  from  the  scene  of  liis 
eartlilj  toils  to  the  rest  and  fellowship  of  the  Church 
triumphant  in  heaven.  Tliree  days  after,  on  the  26th 
of  February,  liis  funeral,  as  we  learn  from  the  min- 
utes of  the  Ilarlingen  Consistory,  was  "  attended  by  a 
vast  concourse  of  people  anxious  to  testify  their  es- 
teem for  a  faithful  shepherd.-'  The  services  of  the 
occasion  were  chiefly  conducted  byMr.  Labagh,  who 
preached  a  remarkably  appropriate  and  impressive 
sermon  on  the  text  in  2  Timothy,  -1:  7,  8,  "I  have 
fought  a  good  tight,  I  have  flnislied  my  course,  I 
have  kept  the  faith :  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for 
me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day:  and  not 
to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  his 
appearing." 

The  principal  points  of  his  discourse  were,  1.  A 
review  of  the  apostle's  life  with  reference  to  the 
varied  experiences  of  a  gospel  minister;  and  2.  Tlie 
prospect  to  which  the  apostle  looked  forward,  and  to 
which  the  faithful  minister  may  now  look  forward, 
in  the  world  to  come.  In  the  conclusion,  he  gave  an 
interesting  sketch  of  the  life  and  labors  of  his  col- 
league, which,  as  a  part  of  the  ecclesiastical  history 
of  the  times,  is  entitled  to  more  than  a  mere  passing 


notice.     In  bringing  his  funeral  discourse  to  a  close 
Mr.  Labagh  sj^oke  as  follows : 

"  Such,  my  brethren,  are  the  comforts,  and  such 
the  prospects  that  result  from  a  life  devoted  to  the 
service  of  God.  When  Paul  looked  back,  he  could 
say.  My  labors  have  been  arduous,  and  my  sufferings 
great ;  but  when  he  looked  forward,  he  could  add 
with  conlidence,  My  rest  shall  be  glorious  in  the 
mansions  above.  Never,  my  brethren,  has  a  dying 
saint  regretted  the  service  he  has  done  for  Christ,  nor 
the  sufferings  he  has  endured  for  His  cause.  Painful, 
arduous  and  perplexing  may  have  been  his  duties 
and  his  trials,  but  the  Lord  was  his  strength,  and  his 
reward  was  sure.  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in 
the  Lord  from  henceforth,  yea,  saitli  the  Spirit,  for 
they  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow 
them. 

"  You  have  before  you  the  mortal  part  of  that  ser- 
vant of  God  who  has  been  your  faithful  pastor  for 
many  years.  The  connection  is  now  dissolved.  His 
work  is  done.  The  Master  has  called  him  home.  He 
cheerfully  obeyed  the  summons,  and  is  gone  to  ren- 
der an  account  of  his  ministry,  and  to  receive  his 
crown.  Before  we  commit  his  body  to  the  dust,  let 
us  pause  for  a  few  moments,  and  learn  the  lessons  of 
spiritual  wisdom  which  his  life  and  character  are  so 
well  adapted  to  impart. 


102 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 


"  He  was  descended  from  a  respectable  and  pious 
parentage.*  His  father  was  an  eminent  minister  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  active,  hiborious,  and  use- 


*  The  Rev.  William  Richmond  Smith  was  the  second  son  of  the 
Rev.  Robert  Smith,  D.D.,  of  Pequea,  Pennsylvania.  His  mother 
was  a  sister  of  the  celebrated  brothers  Samuel  and  John  Blair,  of 
the  former  of  whom  President  Davies  was  accustomed  to  say,  after 
his  return  from  Europe,  that  although  "  he  had  heard  many  of  the 
most  celebrated  preachers  of  England  and  Scotland,  he  had  heard 
no  one  who  in  his  judgment  was  superior  to  his  former  teacher,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Blair."  The  latter,  the  Rev.  John  Blair,  was  sometime 
Professor  of  Theology,  and  Vice  President  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey.  He  discharged  the  duties  of  President  during  the  interreg- 
num between  the  death  of  Dr.  Finley  and  the  arrival  of  Dr.  With- 
erspoon.  After  the  latter  had  entered  upon  the  labors  of  his  office, 
Mr.  Blair  resigned  his  position,  and  returned  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  as  pastor  of  the  Church  at  Wallkill,  Orange  county,  New 
York,  where  he  died  December  8,  17*71,  in  the  fifty-second  year  of 
his  age.  A  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Blair,  who  was  also  a  cousin  of 
the  Rev.  William  R.  Smith,  after  completing  his  education  at  Prince- 
ton, removed  to  Kentucky,  and  engaged  in  the  profession  of  the 
law.  He  was  the  father  of  Francis  Preston  Blair,  Sr.,  distinguished 
as  the  editor  for  many  years  of  the  Wasliington  Globe,  and  the 
grandfather  of  Francis  P.  Blair,  Jr.,  the  first  Republican  representa- 
tive in  Congress  (the  thirty-fifth),  from  Missouri. 

The  Rev.  William  R.  Smith  had  two  brothers  who  were  both 
distinguished.  The  one  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  the  first  President  of  Hampden  Sydney  College  in  Virginia, 
and  afterwards  the  immediate  successor  of  Dr.  Witherspoon  as  Pre- 
sident of  the  College  of  New  Jersey.  The  other  was  the  Rev.  John 
Blair  Smith,  D.D.,  the  second  President  of  Hampden  Sydney  College, 


KEY.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


103 


fid.  Many  of  his  associates  still  living  cherish  his 
memory  with  profound  respect.  Your  deceased  Pas- 
tor was  born  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  May  10th, 
1752.  He  was  the  second  son  of  his  father,  and  ap- 
pears to  have  inherited  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
father's  laborious'and  persevering  spirit.  He  early 
decided  to  follow  the  parental  example,  and  to  devote 
himself  to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  He  passed 
through  his  course  of  preparatory  education  at  the  Col- 
lege of  New  Jersey,  and  after  completing  his  theologi- 
cal studies  under  the  direction  of  that  eminent  man, 
the  Rev.  Dr. Witherspoon,  who  then  presided  over  that 
institution,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel,  in 
the  year  17Su,  and  soon  after  received  two  calls  from 
vacant  confrreorations,  each  soliciting  him  to  become 
their  minister  in  the  services  of  the  sanctuary.  After 
due  deliberation  he  accepted  the  call  from  Wilming- 
ton, in  the  state  of  Delaware.  In  this  congregation 
he  labored  for  fifteen  years,  beloved,  respected,  and 
useful.     During  this  period  his  Master  called  him  to 

and  subsequently  the  first  President  of  Union  College  at  Schenectady, 
New  York.  Of  the  Rev.  William  R.  Smith  himself,  it  is  remarked  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  in  his  "  Biographical  Sketches  of 
the  Founder  and  Principal  Alumni  of  the  Log  College,"  that  he  "  was 
a  pious,  judicious  minister,  less  distinguished  than  either  of  his  broth- 
ers ;  but  his  good  old  father  was  wont  to  say,  that  though  William 
was  inferior  to  his  brothers  in  learning  and  eloquence,  yet  to  comfort 
and  edify  the  plain  Christian,  he  was  equal  to  either  of  them." 


104 


mp:moir  of  the 


severe  trials.  Twice  did  he  mourn  under  painful 
bereavements.  Twice  were  the  successive  compan- 
ions of  his  bosom  removed  bv  death,  and  he  himself 
summoned  to  manifest  in  the  season  of  sorrow  the 
influence  upon  his  own  heart  and  h'fe  of  that  Gospel 
which  he  had  preached  to  others. 

"Dnrino^his  labors  and  trials  at  Wilmington  his 
health  became  greatly  impaired.    lie  was  seized  \vith 
a  violent  influenza  prevailing  at  that  time  and  place, 
which  for  a  season  suspended  his  ministerial  labors, 
and  from  the  eff'ects  of  which  he  never  entii'ely  re- 
covered.    Yielding  to  the  advice  of  his  physicians, 
he  sought  relief  in  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic.    He 
landed  in  Ireland,  the  native  country  and  home  of 
his  ancestors,  visited  the  principal  cities  in  England, 
and  returned  to  his  chari^e  in  less  than  a  vear.    AVith 
health  not  confirmed  he  a^rain  eno^aired  with  his  na- 
tural  perseverance,  and  with  spirit  unbroken,  in  the 
various  duties  of  his  callinii:.     Ilavino;  continued  liis 
labors  for  some  time,  he  was  led  to  believe  that  the 
damp  and  vaporous  atmosphere  of  that  place  was  but 
ill-adapted  to  his  constitution  in  its  enfeebled  condi- 
tion.    He  therefore  sought  another  situation  more 
congenial  to  his  system,  where  he  might  continue  liis 
labors  with  less  interruption.    The  providence  of  God 
directed  him  to  this  place,  aiul  upon  receiving  a  call 
from   the   united   congregations   of   Harlingcn   and 


Shannock,  he  accepted  the  charge,  and  entered  into 
your  service  in  the  year  ITDO. 

"A  short  time  before  his  settlement  among  you, 
the  Lord  healed  the  breach  he  had  made  in  his 
family,  and  gave  him  a  companion  who  is  now  left 
with  six  children  to  mourn  his  loss.  Her  tenderness 
to  her  dear  departed  husband,  her  unremitted  care, 
her  constant  and  afi*ectionate  attention,  her  watchful- 
ness over  him  at  home  and  abroad,  by  day  and  by 
night,  her  tender  concern  for  his  comfort  and  ease 
during  his  tedious  illness,  will,  we  trust,  be  aifec- 
tionately  remembered  by  you,  and  abundantly  re- 
warded by  his  Lord  and  Master. 

"For  twenty-four  vears  he  has  been  vour  minister. 
The  manner  of  his  going  in  and  out  before  you,  is 
known  to  you  all.  While  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
preach  he  could  not  decline.  He  determined  to 
spend  and  be  spent  in  your  service.  Often  have  you 
seen  him,  wnth  a  feeble  frame,  scarcely  able  to  stand, 
aflectionately  addressing  you  from  this  place.  You 
admired  his  zeal  while  you  lamented  his  bodilv  in- 
firmities.  In  consequence  of  a  paralytic  aftection  he 
was  almost  entirely  prevented,  for  the  ^\q  last  years 
of  his  life,  from  the  discharge  of  his  public  duties. 
Yet  his  heart  was  ever  with  you  wdien  vou  assembled 
here.  His  fervent  prayers  constantly  ascended  to 
the  throne  of  grace  in  behalf  of  his  people,  and  he 


5* 


continued  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  all  their  con- 
cerns till  his  latest  hour. 

"Not  many  hours  before  his  departure  I  visited 
him.  He  was  calm,  he  was  resigned,  and  happy. 
His  conflict  with  his  spiritual  adversaries  appeared 
to  be  over,  an<l  he  was  waiting- for  his  crown.  He  is 
gone  to  rest.  Wa  shall  see  him  no  more  till  these 
heavens  and  this  earth  shall  have  passed  away. 
Farewell,  affectionate  colleague  !  Faithful  shepherd, 
afflicted  saint,  farewell !  Thine  active  spirit  has  left 
its  prison  of  clay,  and  found  a  resting  place  in  the 
paradise  of  God. 

"As  a  preacher  he  was  solemn  and  judicious.  He 
delighted  in  practical  subjects,  and  would  rather  in- 
struct and  edify  his  hearers  tlum  charm  tliem  with 
the  beauties  of  style  or  the  powers  of  eloquence. 
Few  men  were  ever  more  punctual  in  all  their  en- 
gagements. He  made  it  a  rule  never  to  neglect  an 
appointment,  wliere  it  was  possible  to  fulflU  it.  His 
spirit  and  his  zeal  were  greater  than  his  bodily  vigor, 
and  the  influence  of  his  family  was  often  necessary 
to  prevent  him  from  undertaking  the  performance  of 
duties  when  he  could  scarcely  leave  his  bed  without 
assistance.  In  his  intercourse  with  his  people  he 
was  prudent  and  affectionate.  He  always  manifested 
a  tender  regard  for  the  lambs  of  his  flock,  and  would 
soon  extend  his  charity  and  love  to  those  w^ho  ap- 


peared to  labor  under  the  burden  of  sin.  He  could 
not  endure  disorder  in  the  house  of  God.  It  would 
distress  liis  very  soul  when  sinners  were  seen  to  de- 
spise the  great  salvation,  pour  contempt  upon  the 
institutions  of  religion,  or  disturb  the  order  and  har- 
mony of  divine  worship.  From  these  trials  he  has 
at  length  passed  away.  He  is  now  worshiping,  we 
doubt  not,  in  that  church  in  the  heavens  where  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  where  all  is  order 
and  harmony,  praise  and  love.  ' 

"A  few  words  to  the  united  cono-reo-ations  liere 
assembled  must  close  this  address.  My  brethren, 
your  pastor  is  no  more.  He  has  ceased  from  his 
labors.  Did  you  love  him  ?  Have  you  been  benefited 
bv  his  toils  amono:  vou  t  Has  he  often  fed  vou  with 
knowledge?  Has  he  comforted  you  in  your  distress? 
Has  he  relieved  your  mind  when  burdened  with  sin? 
Was  he  the  messenger  of  glad  tidings  when  darkness 
and  despair  surrounded  you  ?  Has  he  been  the  in- 
strument by  which  a  new  song  of  praise  has  been 
put  into  your  mouth?  Then  you  will  bless  his 
memorv,  and  cherish  the  recollection  of  his  faithful 
services  while  life  endures.  Christians  of  this  flock, 
weep  not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  You  will  see 
him  again.  You  will  meet  him  again  to  part  no 
more.  And  oh,  how  delightful  w^ill  be  that  scene, 
when  he  shall  present  you  before  your  Saviour  with 


108 


MEMOIR     OF    THE 


this  introduction,  Here  am  I,  and  tlie  children 
which  thou  hast  given  me!  How  will  your  souls 
rejoice  toti^other  when  you  shall  hear  the  Saviour  sav 
to  him,  AYell  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord  !  and,  to  you.  Come, 
ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  toundation  of  the  world? 
This  will  complete  the  luster  of  his  crown,  while 
your  joy  will  be  perfect.  Oh,  what  heavenly  melody, 
when,  with  united  voices,  you  shall  ascribe,  blessing, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  and  ])ower,  to  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain  !  Could  he  now  address  you,  he  would 
say,  Remember  the  words  I  spake  unto  you  while  I 
was  yet  with  you,  and  be  ye  followers  of  them,  who, 
through  faith  and  patience,  are  now  inheriting  the 
promises. 

"  Ah,  sinners,  what  benefit  have  you  reaped  from 
the  labors  of  your  deceased  minister?  He  is  gone, 
but  your  concerns  with  him  are  not  yet  finally  closed. 
He  must  account  for  the  services  he  has  performed  to 
you,  and  you  must  account  for  your  improvement 
under  his  ministry.  And  what  will  you  say  ?  Oh, 
remember  his  solemn  and  dying  request  delivered  to 
you  on  the  last  Sabbath,  Prepare  to  meet  me  at  the  bar 
of  God.  Can  you  think  of  this  without  teiTor  ?  You 
have  lost  the  benefit  of  his  life,  you  will  hear  him 
preach  no  more,  and  will  you  also  lose  the  benefit  of 


his  death?  Shall  this  solemn  scene  fail  to  make  an 
impression  upon  your  heart?  Come,  once  more, 
view  the  remains  of  your  departed  friend  and  pastor, 
and  let  this  solemn  spectacle  bring  to  your  remem- 
brance how  oft  those  lips  have  uttered  to  you  the 
words  of  truth,  and  warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come;  how  oft  those  eyes  have  flowed  with  tears 
over  your  impenitence  and  hardness  of  heart,  and 
those  hands  have  been  stretched  forth  in  prayer  for 
your  salvation.  Tremble  at  the  thought  of  the  judg- 
ment bar.  Go,  with  the  publican  of  old,  smite  upon 
your  breast,  and  cry,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner. 
Your  minister  is  dead,  but  the  Saviour  lives.  Flee 
to  his  grace,  flee  to  Ir's  blood,  Hee  for  your  lives,  take 
hold  of  tlie  hope  set  before  you  in  the  Gospel,  and  it 
may  yet  be  well  with  your  souls.  It  is  not  too  late; 
your  sins  may  yet  be  pardoned.  .  There  is  yet  virtue 
in  the  blood  of  Christ  to  cleanse  vour  foulest  stains. 
Delay  no  longer.  You  stand  on  tlie  brink  of  the 
eternal  world,  and  if  you  die  in  your  sins,  you  die 
accursed,  and  are  lost  forever.  May  God  have 
mercy  on  you,  and  pluck  you  as  brands  out  of  the 
burning ! 

*'To  the  bereaved  widow,  and  the  fixtherless  chil- 
dren, we  would  say.  May  the  spirit  of  consolation 
rest  upon  you !  Your  husband,  your  father,  is  not 
dead,  but  sleepeth.     He  sleeps  in  Jesus,  and  he  will 


no 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


I 


surely  awake  again.  Oh,  prepare,  like  liiin,  to  sleep, 
and,  like  liini,  to  awake  at  the  call  of  God.  Let  his 
example  be  always  before  you,  and  in  all  your  trou- 
bles flee  to  him  who  is  a  Father  to  the  fatherless,  and 
the  widow's  God.  If  in  him  you  put  your  trust,  he 
will  not  leave  you  comfortless.  He  promised  to 
Abraham,  and  tlie  promise  extends  to  all  believers, 
Fear  not,  I  am  thy  shield,  and  thv  exceeding:  irreat 
reward.  How  often  have  you  heard,  from  tliat  voice 
now  silent  in  death,  that  in  the  hour  of  trouble  and 
distress  there  are  no  consolations  to  be  compared 
with  those  wln'eh  flow  from  reliorion  in  the  soul  I 
Your  loss  indeed  is  great,  but  remember  that  his 
gain  is  greater.  To  the  fatiierly  care  and  the  tender 
mercies  of  our  God  would  we  now  commend  those 
upon  whom  this  stroke  has  fallen.  And,  my  bre- 
thren of  these  congregations,  next  to  the  divine  pro- 
tection, would  we  commit  them  to  vour  aflfectionate 

ff- 

interest  and  attention.  Tliey  have  claims  upon  your 
sympathy  and  your  love.  Did  you  respect  and  re- 
vere the  lather?  Let  at  least  a  ]iortion  of  that  re- 
spect be  bestowed  upon  his  family.  They  will  need 
your  counsel  and  your  assistance.  Itemember  that 
it  is  an  indispensable  Christian  duty  to  visit  the 
widow  and  the  fatherless  in  their  affliction.  You 
have  already  been  commended  for  your  patience  and 
your  generosity,  and  surely  it  is  no  time  at  present 


to  withhold  your  Christian  sympathy  and  aid.  Fill 
up  the  measure  of  your  kindness,  full  and  overflow- 
ing, and  the  Lord  will  reward  you. 

"Finally,  brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  we  may  be 
faithful  to  your  souls,  and  that  you  may  profit  under 
our  ministrations,  that,  when  we  approach  the  close 
of  life,  we  may  be  enabled  to  say  in  the  language  of 
the  text,  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished 
my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith.  Henceforth  there 
is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteo-usness  which  the 
Lord,  the  i"ighteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that 
day ;  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that 
love  his  appearing. 

"And  now,  brethren,  I  commend  you  to  God,  and 
to  the  word  of  his  grace,  which  is  able  to  build  you 
up,  and  to  give  you  an  inheritance  among  all  them 
which  are  sanctified.     Amen." 


The  two  Churches  of  Shannock  and  Harlingen 
remained  in  connection  until  March,  1821,  about  a 
year  after  the  death  of  the  senior  pastor,  wlien,  hav- 
ing failed  to  obtain  a  colleague  for  Mr.  Labagh,  not- 
witlistandimx  their  successive  eff*orts  to  secure  the 
services  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  Ferris,  now  Dr.  Ferris, 
Chancellor  of  the  L^niversity  of  the  city  of  Xew 
York,  and  the  Rev.  Isaac  X.  Wyckoff",  now  Dr. 
Wyckofl",  of  Albany,  New  York,  the  united  Consis- 


tories  agreed  upon  a  peaceable  separation.  To  effect 
this,  each  Consistory  presented  a  call  to  the  Eev. 
Mr.  Labagh  for  his  undivided  service.  He  accepted 
the  call  to  Ilarlingen,  and  the  Classis  having  released 
him  from  his  connection  with  the  Church  at  Shan- 
nock,  he  preached  his  fjirewell  sermon  to  that  con- 
gregation on  the  24th  of  June,  1821,  from  2  Corinth- 
ians, 13:  11,  "Finally,  brethren,  farewell.  Be  per- 
fect, be  of  good  comfort,  be  of  one  mind,  live  in 
peace;  and  the  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be  Aith 
you." 

He  was  shortly  after  installed  as  pastor  of  the 
Church  at  Ilarlingen  by  the  Classis  of  Philadelphia. 
It  may  serve  to  mark  tlie  era  of  modern,  and  we  may 
add,  most  acceptal)le  innovation,  in  regard  to  the 
appointments  of  our  churches,  to  state  in  this  connec- 
tion, that  by  order  of  the  Consistory  of  Harliiiiren, 
three  stoves  wei*e  purchased  and  set  up  in  the  church 
in  December,  1821.  Previous  to  this  time  the  peo- 
ple were  accustomed  to  use  the  old  fashioned  porta- 
ble foot  stove,  and  whatever  other  inventions  their 
ingenuity,  stimulated  by  their  necessities,  was  able 
to  suggest. 


CHAPTEE   YII. 

Effort  to  re-organize  the  Theological  Seminary  —  Previous  His- 
tory—  Extract  from  Dr.  Livingston's  Baccalaureate  —  Move- 
ment to  endow  the  third  Professorship  —  'Mr.  Labagh  Chair- 
man OF  the  Committee  on  the  Professorate  —  His  spirited 
Report — Appointed  Agent  of  General  Synod  for  the  Collec- 
tion OF  Funds  —  His  Success  —  Rejoicings  in  the  Church  — 
Noble  Self-sacrifice  of  the  Ministry  —  Enlargement  of  the 
Library  at  New  Brunswick  —  Mr.  Labagh  on  the  Committee 
IN  regard  to  an  Agency  to  Holland  —  Appointed  to  go  to 
Holland —  The  Holland  Agency  given  up  —  Further  Efforts  — 
Dr.  Froeligh  and  the  Secession  of  1822  —  Dr.  Froeligh  de- 
posed from  the  Ministry  —  Some  Account  of  Him  —  New  Jer- 
sey Colonization  Society  —  Mr.  Labagh  one  of  its  Founders  — 
His  Report  to  General  Synod  on  Colonization  —  Views  in 
regard  to  Benevolent  Societies  —  A  dissatisfied  Student  — 
Note:  A  Singular  Proposition  —  Difficulties  growing  out  of 
HIS  Case  —  Mr,  Labagh  a  Delegate  to  the  Presbyterian  Gene- 
ral Assembly  —  Amicable  Arrangement. 

In  the  year  1822,  the  long  cherished  desire  to 
have  the  Tlieological  Seminary  of  the  Church  reor- 
ganized and  equipped  witli  a  view"  to  more  efficient 
service  in  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  gospel 


ministiy,  led  the  General  Synod  to  adopt  a  resolution 

tliat  "  one  more  effort  be  made  to  endow  a  Profes- 
sorship." 

From  17S4  until   ISIO  Dr.  John  IT.  Livingston, 
while  performing  the  ordinary  duties  of  the  ministry 
as  one  of  the  pastors  of  the  Collegiate  Church  in  the 
city  of  Xew  York,  held  also  the  ottice  of  Professor 
of  Theology,  assisted  by  Dr.  Tlieodoric  Romevn,  of 
Schenectady,  New  York,  and  Dr.  Solomon  Froeligh, 
of  Ilackensack,  New  Jersey.   The  Trustees  of  Queens 
College,  which  had  suspended  its  operations  in  1790, 
on  the  death  of  Dr.  Ilardenbergh,  its  tirst  president, 
made  overtures  to  the  General  Synod  in  ISOT,  with 
the  design  of  reviving  that  institution,  and  placing 
it  upon  a  more  stable  basis.     They  proposed  that  the 
Theological  Professorate  be  united  with  tlie  Colleo-e, 
and  that  the  Theological  Professor  be  its  president. 
In  reference  to  tliis  transaction.  Dr.  Livingston,  a 
few  years  later,  when  the  project  luid  been  happily 
and  successfully  consummated,  expressed  himself  in 
the  following  language : 

''I^pon  the  decease  of  Dr.  Ilardenberdi  a  call 
was  made  upon  another,  wlio  by  imperious  circum- 
stances was  then  ])revented  from  accepting  it;  the 
College  again  declined  into  its  former  state,  everv 
species  of  instruction  at  length  ceased,  and  nothing 
but  the  name  remained.     And  even  its  name  and 


REV.    PETER   LAlBAGH,    D.D. 


115 


existence  would  have  been  obliterated,  had  it  not 
pleased  the  Lord  to  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  the  Trus- 
tees to  revert  to  the  first  principles  of  the  Charter, 
and  recollect  that  this  College  was  built  upon  a  foun- 
dation in  some  respects  different  from  all  others. 
That  it  was  not  merely  a  literar}^  institution,  but  was 
designed  principally  to  be  a  Theological  Seminary. 
They  therefore  wisely  determined  to  appeal  to  the 
Eeforined  Dutch  Churches,  and  accordingly  made  a 
spirited  and  pious  overture  upon  this  interesting 
subject.  The  movement  proved  propitious.  The 
General  Synod  was  at  that  very  juncture  earnestly 
contemplating  a  plan  for  accomplishing  their  favorite 
object  of  opening  a  Divinity  Hall,  and  establishing  a 
Theological  Professorship.  The  overture  was  readily 
accepted;  and  the  Churches  and  Trustees  entered 
into  a  mutual  covenant  which  has  given  a  new  form, 
and  we  trust,  new  life  and  energy  to  the  institution."^ 

As  the  result  of  this  arrangement,  $20,000  were 
raised  to  endow  the  Theological  Professorship,  and 
Dr.  Livingston,  who  liad  already  been  chosen  to  the 
two-fold  office  of  Professor  of  Theology,  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  College,  having  resigned  his  pastoral 

*  An  address  delivered  at  the  Commencement  held  in  Queens 
College,  in  New  Jersey,  September  25,  1810;  by  J.  H.  Livingston, 
D.D.,  Professor  of  Theology,  and  President  of  Queens  College. 


charge  in  the  Collegiate  Church,  removed  to  Xew 
Brunswick,  Xew  Jersey,  in  October,  1810. 

The  Eev.  John  Schureniaii,  D.D.,  was  chosen  as  an 
additional  professor  in  1815,  and  discharged  the  du- 
ties of  that  office  until  1818,  when  he  died.  In  1819 
he  was  succeeded  in  the  professorship  by  the  Eev. 
John  Ludlow,  who,  on  his  resignation  in  1823,  was, 
in  turn,  succeeded  by  the  Eev.  John  De  Witt.  Tlie 
second  professorship,  however,  was  not  endowed, 
until,  in  conformity  with  the  resolution  of  General 
Synod  adopted  in  1822,  to  which  allusion  has  already 
been  made,  a  subscription  was  opened  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  the  requisite  funds  were  secured  within  the 
bounds  of  tlie  Particular  Synod  of  Xew  York. 

In  1825  the  General  Synod  took  into  serious  con- 
sideration the  feasibility  of  endowing  a  third  profes- 
sorship, an  object  which  the  whole  denomination  had 
long  contemplated  with  very  earnest  desire.  In  this 
question,  as  in  every  question  affecting  the  perma- 
nant  establishment  and  efficiency  of  the  educational 
institutions  of  the  Clmrch,  Mr.  Labagh  felt  and  mani- 
fested the  deepest  interest.  lie  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  the  professorate,  and  in  that  capacity 
he  submitted  to  the  Synod  a  report,  in  which  he 
urged  upon  that  body,  with  great  force  and  spirit, 
the  importance  of  prompt  and  energetic  action. 
He   states,  in  the  report  which  he  presented  in 


behalf  of  the  committee,  "That  the  various  subjects 
referred  to  them  have  received  their  serious  and  de- 
liberate consideration. 

"  The  fii-st  and  most  important  of  these  subjects  is 
the  communication,  from  the   Board  of  Trustees  of 
Queens  College,  accompanied  with  the  generous  offer 
of  tlie  Consistory  of  New  York.     On  this  subject, 
which  so  deeply  involves  the  interest  and  the  future 
prosperity  and  enlargement  of  the  Church,  your  com- 
mittee fully  believe  that  the  time  is  come  when  the 
theological  and  literary  Institution,  which  has  been 
the  subject  of  so  many  anxieties  and  prayers  of  our 
fathers,  and  of  ourselves,  is  now  to  be  established 
upon  a  permanent  and  respectable  foundation,  or  else 
to  drag  along  a  precarious  existence,  weak  and  sickly, 
nntil  it  dies  never  to  revive.     The  influence  of  such 
an  event  upon  the  character  of  the  Eeformed  Dutch 
Church,  and  upon  the  interests  of  religion,  is  too 
painful  for  your  committee  to  contemplate.   It  cannot 
be  that  in  the  present  age  of  enterprise  and  Christian 
liberality   the   sons  of  our   Eeformed    Zion   would 
suffer  the  bmnd  of  degeneracy  to  be  stamped  upon 
them.      What   has    been    already    done    within    the 
bounds  of  the  southern  Synod,  and  what  is  now  the 
generous  offer  of  the  Consistory  of  New  York,  is  con- 
soling evidence  that  tliere  is  a  spirit  of  attachment 
to  the  Church,  and  zeal  for  the  promotion  of  its  in- 


v."a«^  '.■n»w«»fc.  tr 


,rttm'va*Mm'fmiiiititi.iii^ie)^iti)U'^^*'^li'«r^ 


M  *,,->*  "^l 


118 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


terest,  which  yields  to  none.  Within  the  Synod  of 
Albany  there  are  ample  means;  God  has  blessed 
them  with  wealth,  and  vour  committee  cannot  hesi- 
tate  to  believe,  that  they  will  be  willing  to  honor 
God  with  their  substance,  in  blessing  the  Churches 
with  their  liberal  donations.  The  Synod  of  Albany, 
which  embraces  the  largest  section  of  the  whole 
Church,  your  committee  cannot  believe  will  consent 
to  be  behind  their  southern  brethren,  in  any  measure 
in  which  the  honor  and  the  interests  of  the  Church 
are  so  deeply  involved.  It  requires  nothing  more 
than  a  combined  and  strenuous  effort  to  secure  suc- 
cess; the  object  is  completely  within  our  power;  our 
means  are  ample,  and  the  voice  of  Providence,  and 
the  voice  of  tlie  Church,  uuitedlv  call  to  exertion. 
Tlie  consequence  of  a  failure  in  this  object,  your 
committee  cannot  contemplate  without  painful  emo- 
tions; it  would  damp  the  spirit  of  the  south  ;  it  would 
spread  a  gloom  over  our  prospects,  and  excite  a  jeal- 
ousy, which  is  the  bane  of  Christian  and  brotherly 
confidence ;  those  tender  and  affectionate  ties  by 
which  the  different  sections  of  our  Church  are  bound 
together  would  be  weakened ;  such  consequences  are 
to  be  deprecated  and  avoided;  the  harmony  and  in- 
tegrity of  the  Churches  are  to  be  maintained  by  the 
united  exertions  of  the  whole  body. 

"The  sum  of  $25,000  is  now  required  to  carrj  into 


J 


complete  effect  the  original  plan  of  this  Synod  in 
relation  to  the  Theological  College,  as  well  as  to 
realize  the  liberal  donation  of  the  Consistory  of  ]S'ew 
York.  That  respectable  body,  to  whom  the  gratitude 
of  the  Churches  is  due,  will  give  $1,700  a  year  for 
three  years,  whenever  the  above  sum  shall  have  been 
subscribed  for  the  third  professorship,  and  the  whole 
establishment,  literary  and  theological,  shall  be  in 
full  operation.  The  time  for  vigorous  exertion  is 
therefore  now  come,  and  every  friend  to  our  Eeformed 
Zion  is  now  called  upon  to  lend  his  active  aid. 

"The  Synod  of  New  York  have  already  raised  by 
subscription  $26,000  for   the   second  professorship, 
and  more  than  $tt,000  for  other  purposes  connected 
with  the  Institution ;  the  committee  would  therefore 
earnestly  recommend,  that   agents  be  immediately 
appointed  to  open  subscriptions  in  all  the  Classes 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Synod  of  Albany,  which 
agents  shall  proceed  with  all  possible  expedition  to 
fulfill  the  object  of  their  appointment,  and  that  it  be 
enjoined  upon  such  agents  to  finish  their  work,  and 
report  to  the  president  of  this  Synod  by  the  last  of 
August  next.     The  committee  would  further  recom- 
mend, that  this  Synod  hold  an  adjourned  session  at 
:N"ew  Brunswick,  on  the  second  Wednesday  of  Septem- 
ber next,  in  order  that  if  God  in  his  providence  should 
give  success  to  the  agents,  this  Synod  may  immedi- 


120 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


ately  proceed  to  the  appointment  of  a  third  professor, 
and  tlius  accomplish  the  object  to  wliich  the  desires 
and  prayers  of  the  Cluirch  have  been  so  loug  directed, 
and  with  wliich  the  prosperity  of  the  Church  is  so 
intimately  connected." 

The  report  was  adopted,  and  among  the  persons 
designated  by  Synod  to  act  as  agents  to  obtain  the 
necessary  funds,  we  find  the  name  of  Mr.  Labagh, 
who  was  appointed  in  connection  with  two  other 
clergymen,  the  Eev.  J.  F.  Schermerhorn  and  the 
Rev.  Peter  P.  Rouse,  to  solicit  subscriptions  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Classis  of  Montgomery. 

He  entered  promptly  upon  the  duty  assigned  to 
the  agency,  of  which  it  is  not  improper  to  say  that 
the  larger  part  of  the  labor  devolved  upon  himself, 
and  in  June,  1826,  submitted  to  General  Synod  a 
satisfactory  report,  in  wliich  the  amount  received  by 
him,  in  pledge  or  payment,  was  shown  to  be  $1138  50. 
During  the  same  year  lie  was  appointed  to  receive 
subscriptions  for  the  Theological  Seminary  in  the 
Classes  of  Bergen  and  Paramus,  within  whose  bounds 
no  effort  for  that  purpose  had  yet  been  made.  At 
the  meeting  of  Synod  in  June,  1827,  he  reported  to 
that  body  that  he  had  executed  his  commission,  and 
received  pledges  to  the  amount  of  $1797  00.  Of  the 
sum  required  for  the  endowment  of  the  third  profes- 


sorship, it  thus  appears  that  nearly  three  thousand 
dollars  were  secured,  in  a  large  measure,  by  his  own 
personal  solicitations  and  efforts.  To  have  contribu- 
ted in  any  degree,  and  especially  in  such  a  degree  to 
the  attainment  of  an  object  so  vital  to  tlie  best  interests 
of  the  Church,  the  diffusion  of  evangelical  doctrine, 
and  the  extension  of  that  blessed  kingdom  "  which  is 
righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy,  in  the  Holy  Ghost," 
cannot  fail  to  be  regarded  as  a  sacred  claim  upon  the 
gratitude  of  those  who  now  enjoy  the  fruits  of  so 
many  sacrifices  and  toils. 

The  effort  was  rewarded  with  success,  and,  in  the 
permanent  endowment  of  the  third  professorship  in 
the  Theological  Seminary,  the  Church  beheld  with 
rejoicing  the  answer  of  her  prayers,  the  realization 
of  her  hopes,  the  crowning  triumph  of  her  earnest  and 
protracted  struggles.  The  conferences,  the  delibera- 
tions, the  plans,  the  sacrifices,  the  laboi«s  of  years, 
here  culminated,  in  a  result  so  auspicious  and  ani- 
mating, that  it  filled  the  heart  of  the  Church  with 
the  deepest  emotions  of  gratitude  and  praise  to  God. 
The  long  agony  was  over.  The  fear  of  failure  gave 
place  to  the  most  cheering  anticipations  of  future 
prosperity  and  enlargement.  The  stone  had  at  last 
reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  not  to  recoil 
upon  those  who  were  laboring  to  urge  it  onward,  but 
to  go  thundering  down  on  the  other  side. 
6 


It  woiiltl  be  unjust  to  tlie  noble  and  selt-siicrilieinir 
spirits  wlio  met  that  crisis  in  our  Church's  liistory, 
to  pass  by  in  silence  their  generous  devotion  to  the 
common  good.  There  were  many  lar^e  hearted  and 
liberal  men  in  the  ranks  of  her  laitv,  and  of  honora- 
ble  women  there  were  not  a  few,  but  it  cannot  be 
disguised  that  the  power  which,  under  God,  con- 
fronted the  emergency  witli  invincible  courage,  and 
decided  the  fortunes  of  that  final  struggle,  lay  in  the 
ranks  of  her  evangelical  ministry.  Poor,  indeed, 
they  were,  in  the  possessions  and  good  things  of  this 
world,  and  often  subjected  to  the  restraints  of  a  most 
rigorous  economy,  but  they  yet  found  means,  by  the 
blessing  of  a  gracious  Providence,  to  contribute 
nearly  half  of  the  whole  sum  required.  In  the  lan- 
guage of  one  who  was  called  home,  alas !  too  early 
for  us,  to  his  reward  in  heaven,  and  to  whom  while 
living  it  pleased  God  to  grant,  in  addition  to  the  gift 
of  fortune,  the  better  gift  of  a  noble  and  generous 
Christian  heart:  ''The  funds  for  the  endowment  of 
the  third  theological  professorship  were  secured. 
Of  the  aggregate  amount  then  raised,  not  less  than 
$10,000  were  contributed  by  the  clergy.  Others 
gave  of  their  abundance,  but  these  of  their  penury. 
Many  of  tliem,  when  they  gave,  handed  over  the  lit- 
tle savings  of  years.  Like  the  widow,  they  '  cast  in 
all  the  living  they  had.'     They'subscribed  their  hun- 


I 


dreds  RUi\  jyaid  t hi  7)i ;  and  of  some  of  them  so  sub- 
scribing, I  am  ready  to  affirm,  that  if  prompt  pay- 
ment of  bills  incurred  for  the  necessary  support  of 
their  families  had  been  demanded,  they  would  have 
been  compelled  to  have  sold  portions  of  their  scanty 
libraries,  or  the  more  scanty  furniture  of  their  house- 
holds. Such  was  the  spirit  of  the  men  who  revived 
the  College  in  1825,  in  connection  with  the  Semi- 
nary, and  such  the  gifts  they  brought.  Let  their 
memory  be  cherished,  and  let  their  example  be  held 
worthy  of  all  imitation.  Ours  was,  indeed,  an  an- 
cestry of  ho])e;  let  us  prove  ourselves  worthy  of  it 
by  perfecting  their  work,  and  carrying  it  out  to  a 
fuller  consummation.""^ 

»  Address  before  the  Alumni  of  Rutgers  College,  July  27,  1852, 
by  the  Rev.  Abraham  Polhemus,  D.D.,  of  Hopewell,  New  York. 

Dr.  PoUiemus  was  born  at  llallett's  Cove,  now  Astoria,  Long 
Island,  in  1812.     He  entered  the  Sophomore  class  in  Rutgers  Col- 
lege, in  1828.     He  graduated  in    1831.     He  made  a  profession  of 
religion  in  the  Collegiate  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  New  York  city, 
in  1831  or  1832,  and  shortly  afterwards   entered  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  New  Brunswick.     He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gos 
pel  by  the  <  lassis  of  New  York,  in  July,  1835,  and  was  ordained 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  of  Hopewell,  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  October 
28,  1835.     He   visited   Europe  in  1846,  and  besides  attending  the 
meeting  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  held  in  London,  in  August  of 
that  year,  made  a  tour  through  the  most  interesting  portions  of 
England,  Scotland,  France  and  Holland.     He  received  invitations  at 


In  addition  to  the  endowment  of  the  tliird  profes- 
sorbhip,  there  was  another  subject  of  great  impor- 
tance, which  had  frequently  occupied  the  attention 
of  the  Church,  Tlie  library  of  the  literary  and  theo- 
loo^ical  Institutions  was  known  to  be  altogether  in- 
adequate  to  their  wants,  and  although  a  strong  desire 
was  felt  to  have  the  deticiency  supplied,  yet  the 
demand  upon  tlie  resources  of  the  Church,  occasioned 

ditferent  times,  after  his  return,  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Churches  of  Utica,  and  Xewburgh,  New  York,  and 
of  Belleville,  New  Jersey,  all  of  which  he  declined     At  its  annual 
commencement,  in  July,  1856,  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Di- 
vinity was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  University  of  the  city  of 
New  York.     In  January,  1857,  he  received  a  call  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  North  Reformed  Dutch  Clmrch  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  then 
but  recently  organized.     After  much  hesitation,  he  was  finally  led, 
by  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  indications  of  Providence,  to  seek 
the  dissolution  of  his  relation  to  the  Church  at  Hopewell,  in  order 
to  accept  the  call  to  Newark.     He  was  released  from  his  charge  by 
the  Classis  of  Poughkeepsie,  March  23,  1657,  and  installed  pastor  of 
the  North  Church   of  Newark,  May  3,  1857.     Having  successfully 
labored  in  his  new  relation  until  the  12th  of  the  ensuing  August,  he 
left  Newark  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  his  old  friends  at  Hopewell. 
While  stopping  on  his  way  at  the  house  of  his  brother-in-law,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Forsyth,  at  Newburgh,  he  was  attacked  by  a  sickness  from 
which  he  never  recovered.     After  lingering  for  two  months  and 
sixteen  days,  his  spirit,  rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  glory,  was  released 
from  the  body  and  entered  into  its  heavenly  rest,  on  the  28th  of 
October,  the  anniversary  of  his  ordination  at  Hopewell,  just  twenty- 
two  years  before. 


II 


by  the  effort  to  endow  the  professorship,  rendered  it 
necessary  to  postpone  any  decided  action,  for  the 
accomplishment  of  that  object,  to  a  future  day.  In 
the  report  submitted  by  Mr.  Labagh,  to  the  General 
Synod,  at  its  session  of  June,  1825,  a  resolution  was 
offered  and  adopted  expressive  of  tlie  opinion  that 
"  it  would  be  premature  at  present  to  set  on  foot  a 
subscription  under  the  authority  of  Synod,  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  funds  to  purchase  a  theological 
library."  That  this  was  a  judicious  and  politic  deci- 
sion, under  the  circumstances,  no  one  can  entertain  a 
doubt.  The  most  effective  and  useful  efforts  are 
those  which  are  concentrated,  and  put  forth  with 
persevering  energy,  for  the  attainment  of  single 
ends.  The  result  in  this  case  fully  vindicated  the 
wisdom  of  the  course  pursued. 

No  sooner,  however,  was  the  professorship  en- 
dowed, and  established  upon  a  safe  and  permanent 
basis,  than  the  General  Synod  began  to  move  in  the 
matter  of  procuring  an  adequate  library.  At  the 
session  of  June,  1826,  that  body  appointed  a  commit- 
tee, of  which  Mr.  Labagh  was  a  member,  "  to  inquire 
into  the  expediency  of  sending  an  agency  to  Holland, 
to  solicit  donations  for  the  theological  and  literary 
Institutions  at  Xew  Brunswick."  The  committee  re- 
ported at  the  same  session,  and  in  their  report  the 
object  for  which  the  donations  were  to  be  solicited  is 


B*ll,-*f*i'«-'»  "—,•-.:"  v- 


-a      !■-     .' 


very  clearly  defiiiecl.  "  From  a  yariety  of  considera- 
tioiis,"  say  they,  "your  committee  feel  persuaded 
that  it  is  yery  desirable  to  send  one  or  more  agents 
to  the  land  of  our  fathers,  for  the  purpose  of  gaining 
information  relatiye  to  the  state  of  the  Church  there, 
as  ^yell  as  to  solicit  aid  for  our  Institutions  at  Xew 
Brunswick.  It  is  our  impression,  that  if  suitable 
agents  are  appointed,  there  is  an  encouraging  pros- 
pect that  such  an  appointment  ^yill  be  attended  ^yith 
no  little  success.  Your  committee,  therefore,  recom- 
mend for  adoption,  the  following  : 

'*  Besolved,  That  two  agents  be  appointed  to  visit 
Holland,  to  ask  donations  in  books  and  money." 

To  this  the  committee  added  another  resolution, 
requesting  the  Board  of  Corporation  to  designate  the 
agents,  and  deyise  means  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  journey;  and  proyiding  that  the  agents,  when 
thus  appointed,  haye  their  commission  duly  certified 
by  the  officers  of  the  Synod. 

The  recommendation  of  the  committee  received 
the  approval  of  Synod,  and  in  June,  1827,  two  agents 
were  appointed  to  sail  for  llolUmd,  and  endeayor  to 
accomplish  the  object  contemplated  in  the  resolution. 
Tlie  persons  cliosen  to  undertake  this  responsible 
mission  were  the  Eev.  Messrs.  Peter  Labagli  and 
John  Lwdlow ^  prhnaril,  and  the  Kev.  Messrs.  Thos. 


k 


k 


De  Witt  and  John  F.  Schermerhorn,  secundi.  Mr. 
Ludlow  having  declined  tlie  appointment,  Mr.  Scher- 
merhorn, his  fiecundus,  succeeded  to  his  place,  and  at 
an  early  day  transmitted  to  tlie  President  of  Synod 
his  letter  of  acceptance,  but  Mr.  Labagli  having 
omitted  to  communicate  any  official  information  of 
his  acceptance,  and  other  difficulties  haying  arisen, 
the  Board  of  Coi-poration,  in  1S2S,  referred  the  w^liole 
subject  to  General  Synod  for  further  instructions. 

After  mature  deliberation,  the  Synod  adopted  a 
report,  submitted  by  tlie  committee  on  Correspond- 
ence, in  which  it  was  proposed  to  reopen  with  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  Holland,  the  correspond- 
ence which  had  been  suspended  in  consequence  of 
the  political  convulsions  and  terrible  wars  ^yhich 
desolated  that  country  during  the  sanguinary  career 
of  Xaj)oleon  I>oiia})arte.  The  Synod  also  adopted  a 
resolution,  proposed  by  the  committee,  that  the 
agency  to  Holland  be  discontinued. 

This  action,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  put  an 
end  to  all  further  measures  to  procure  assistance  from 
abroad.  Mr.  Labaich  and  his  colleao:ue  were  allowed 
TO  remain  quietly  at  home,  engaged  in  the  more  con- 
genial employments  of  pastoral  labor.  The  effi^rt  in 
behalf  of  the  library,  howeyer,  did  not  cease  with 
the  discontinuance  of  the  agency.  The  Synod,  at  its 
same  session,  was  urged  by  the  superintendents  of 


128 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


the  College  to  adopt  such  measures  immediately  as 
would  be  efficient  to  enlariire  the  library. 

It  was  accordingly  resolved  that  the  ministers 
throughout  the  Church  be  requested  to  present,  in 
such  way  as  tliey  might  deem  best,  this  subject  to 
their  respective  congregations,  and  that  the  agent  of 
the  Board  of  Corporation,  whose  special  duty  it  was 
to  collect  the  outstanding  sul)Scri])tions  to  the  Profes- 
soral  fund,  make  this  also  an  object  of  particular 
attention  in  ])rosecuting  the  business  of  his  agency. 

In  addition  to  this  resolution  another  was  adopted, 
providing  ''  that  a  special  effort  be  made  throughout 
all  the  Churches  to  realize,  if  possible,  at  least  $2,000, 
to  be  collected  by  agents  specially  appointed  for  this 
purpose, —  $1,600  to  be  applied  to  the  increase  of 
the  library,  and  $400  for  a  course  of  lectures  on 
Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  and  Geoloory."  Amoufj  the 
agents  appointed  for  the  Chassis  of  Philadelphia,  to 
carry  out  this  resolution,  we  find  the  name  of  Mr. 
Lal)agh.  That  he  performed  the  duty  assigned  him 
with  fidelity  and  success,  there  is  the  most  al)undant 
evidence  to  show. 

Haying  traced  the  history  of  the  effort  in  behalf  of 
tlie  Theoloc^ical  Seminary  to  a  successful  result,  it  is 
necessary  to  return  once  more  to  the  year  1822.  In 
the  fall  of  that  year  an  event  took  place  wliich  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  whole  Church,  and  finally 


II 


IJ 


f 


REV.    PETER    LABAGH,    D.D. 


129 


came  before  the  General  Synod  for  judicial  action. 
The  Eev.  Solomon  Froeligh,  D  I).,  pastor  of  the 
Churches  of  Ilackensack  and  Schraalenburgh,  New 
Jersey,  had  for  nearly  twenty  years  been  disaffected 
toward  the  denomination  of  which  he  was  a  minister, 
and  had  on  several  occasions  given  evidence  of  a  de- 
sire to  awaken  in  the  minds  of  others  a  feelins:  simi- 
lar  to  his  own.  Ills  intentions  at  length  developed 
themselves  in  an  organized  conspiracy  to  divide  the 
Church.  What  were  the  real  motives  which  impelled 
him  to  the  course  he  pursued,  it  is  needless  to  in- 
cpiire.  By  one,  it  has  been  said  tliat  ''  luiving  made 
himself  liable  to  censure  by  acts  of  acrirression  in  a 
neighboring  Church,  he  preferred  to  secede  rather 
than  to  submit  to  the  Church  authorities;"^  by 
another,  that  the  movement  inaugurated  by  him  was 
an  attempt  to  revive  the  okl  ''  contest  between  prac- 
tical religion  and  dead  orthodoxy,"  f  of  the  latter  of 
which  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  representative. 
It  is  possible  that  both  the  considerations  here  refer- 
red to,  may  have  been  combined  to  some  extent  in 
the  motives  which  led  to  the  secession. 

Dr.  Froeligh's  attempt  to  organize  an  independent 
ecclesiastical  body,  by  a  secession  from  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church,  was  consummated  at  Schraalenl)urgh, 
October  25,  1822.     His  followers,  consisting  of  four 

*  Rev.  U  D.  Demarest,  D.D.  f  Rev.  R  T.    Cor  win. 


6^ 


■paw 


130 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


ministers,  every  one  of  them  already  under  sentence 
of  deposition  from  the  clerical  office,  and  seven  con- 
o-reirations,  with  their  consistories,  were  formed,  un- 
der  his  direction,  into  a  separate  body,  by  the  name 
and  title  of  the  "  True  Eeformed  Dutch  Church  in 
Americir."  The  ground  upon  which  they  justified 
their  action  was,  the  prevalence  of  erroneous  doc- 
trines, and  the  neglect  of  discipline,  in  the  Eeformed 
Dutch  Church  ;  the  latter,  a  sin<^ailar  reason,  truly, 
to  be  assigned  by  four  men,  who,  for  their  culpable 
inconsistency,  had  themselves  been  disciplined,  and 
sentenced  to  be  deposed  from  the  gospel  ministry  ! 

The  whole  subject  was  brought  up  before  the  Gen- 
eral Synod,  at  its  annual  session,  in  Albany,  in  June, 
1S23,  and  was,  by  that  body,  referred  to  a  committee 
of  its  members,  consisting  of  the  Tlev.  Messrs.  Philip 
Durvee,  Peter  Labau:h  and  Samuel  A.  Yan  Yranken, 
and  the  elders  Messrs.  J.  K.  ILirdenbergh  and  Abra- 
ham Yan  Yechten.  A  number  of  documents  were 
submitted  for  examination,  and  among  them  a  pam- 
phlet published  by  the  seceders,  in  whicli,  while  they 
attempted  to  justify  their  conduct,  they  were  unspar- 
inir  in  tlieir  accusations  acrainst  tlie  Reformed  Dutch 

Church. 

The  committee  in  due  time  reported,  and,  after  re- 

citiiig  tlie  principal  facts  in  the  case,  announced  the 

conclusion  at  which  they  had  arrived  in  the  following 

paragraph : 


f 


"Your  committee  are  therefore  of  opinion,  that 
tlie  Rev.  Dr.  Froelii>:]i  should  be  cited,  witiiout  delav, 
to  appear  and  answer  to  the  cliarges  above  detailed, 
before  this  Sviiod." 

Dr.  Froeligh  was  accordingly  twice  cited  to  appear 
before  the  General  Synod,  but  luxvinii:  on  both  occa- 
scions  refused  to  answer  in  person,  and  having,  in  the 
last  instance,  informed  tlie  bearer  of  the  citation  that 
"he  should  not  reply  t<^  it,-'  the  Synod,  after  a  pream- 
ble containing  a  statement  of  tlie  facts  before  them, 
adopted  the  following  resolutions: 

"  Resolved,  Tluit  this  Svnod,  by  reason  of  such 
refusal,  as  well  as  upon  an  examination  of  the  said 
pamphlet,  do  adjudge  him  guilty  of  the  several  of- 
fences, so  as  aforesaid  charged  against  him. 

''  Resolved,  Tliat  Dr.  Froeligh  be,  and  he  hereby  is, 
removed  from  his  said  office  of  professor,  for  tlie  said 
offences,  and  that  he  be  and  hereby  is,  suspended 
from  his  office  as  minister  of  the  Gospel,  until  he 
shall  exhibit  satistactory  evidence  to  this  Synod,  of 
his  sincere  penitence,  and  full  submission  to  the  au- 
thority of  the  regular,  constituted  ecclesiastical  judi- 
catories of  the  Eeformed  Dutch  Church. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  stated  clerk  transmit  a  certi- 
fied copy  of  the  foregoing  resolutions  to  Dr.  Froeligh 
and  his  cono:reo:ation.'' 


I 


The  duty  devolved  upon  ^h.  Liibagli,  as  a  ineinber 
of  tlie  coniniittee,  and  of  the  Synod,  to  wliosc  deci- 
sion the  case  of  Dr.  Froeligli  was  snbndtted,  was  one 
from  which,  if  lie  ha<l  consulted  his  feelings,  he  would 
have  desired  to  he  exempt.  While  he  couhl  not  do 
otherwise  than  condemn  the  course  which  Dr.  Froe- 
ligh  liad  pursued,  and  while  he  was  sternly  opposed 
to  his  schismatical  and  pernicious  schemes,  in  which 
he  thought  he  discovered  more  of  personal  irritation 
than  of  zeal  for  the  interests  of  truth,  he  was  yet  un- 
able to  divest  hinis(df  r)f  the  recollections  of  his  early 
years.  Dr.  Froc'ligh  had  been  his  pastor,  and  had  re- 
ceived him  into  the  communion  of  the  Church ;  under 
Dr.  FroeliglTs  direction  he  had  for  two  years  pursued 
his  theological  studies;  at  his  induction  into  the  min- 
istry Dr.  Froeligh  had  preached  the  sermon,  and  had 
laid  his  hands  upon  his  head  in  the  solemn  rite  of 
ordination.  l>esides,  he  was  now  an  old  man,  whose 
years  had  passed  beyond  the  limit  of  three  score  and 
ten.  Tliese  circumstances  were  all  adaj)ted  to  awaken 
his  sympathies,  ami  t(^  plead  for  the  exercise  of  for- 
bearance. On  the  other  hand,  the  peace  of  the 
Church  had  been  broken;  the  cause  of  religion  had 
received  a  wound  in  tlie  house  of  its  friend;  an  undue 
lenity  in  dealing  with  a  flagrant  wrong  might  be  as 
injurious  as  open  hostility  to  the  truth.  He  saw  the 
path   of  duty,   and  he  walked  therein.     While  he 


ii 


pitied  the  offender,  he  gave  liis  voice  in  condemna- 
tion of  the  oflTence. 

Dr.  Froeligh  was  a  man  of  unrpiestioned  intellect 
and  learning.  He  was  doubtless  guiltv  of  ijrave  de- 
partnresfrom  duty;  but  there  are  too  many  instances 
on  record  in  Avhich  good  men  have  fallen  into  sin  to 
authorize,  on  our  part,  the  judo-ment  that  the  wron^rs 
^vhich  he  committed  were  absolutely  incompatible 
with  the  existence  of  true  piety  in  the  heart.  The 
grace  of  God  sometimes  takes  up  its  abode  where  no 
human  being  could  dwell  with  comfort  for  a  single 
day.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  ill-advised  and  blame- 
worthy project,  which  seems  to  have  possessed  him 
with  something  like  the  force  of  a  passion,  the  name 
of  Solomon  Froeligh  would  have  come  down  to  ns  as 
that  of  one  of  the  great  and  venerfible  men  of  his 
time.  For  the  following  sketch  of  his  life,  in  which 
the  more  pi'omiiient  events  are  very  briefly  exhibited, 
the  writer  is  indebted  to  another : 

"Dr.  Solomon  Froeligh  was  born  at  Eed  Hook,  in 
1750,  and  received  his  flrst  serious  impressions,  un- 
der the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Schuneman,  at  the 
age  of  fourteen.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  was 
placed  for  instruction  under  the  care  of  Rev.  Derick 
Romeyn,  where  he  continued  three  years.  Thence 
he  entered  the  Academy  at  Hackensack,  then  under 
the   management   of  Peter  Wilson.     After   he  had 


134 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


studied  lierc  three  rears,  lie  received  the  deirree  of 
A.B.  tVoin  the  Colle<j:e  of  Xew  Jersey. 

"lie  comineiiced  his  tlieological  studies  under  tlie 
supervision  of  Tlev.  John  II.  Goetschius.  After 
three  vears'  study,  liis  instructor  and  the  consistory 
a})pointed  liiiu  a  cateehist,  and  lie  was  accordin^^ly 
often  enga<;'ed  in  instructing  tlie  youth  of  the  congre- 
ojation. 

"In  October,  1774,  he  was  examined  for  licensure 
before  the  convention.  The  Eev.  Mr.  Levdt  and 
Dr.  Ilardenberjj^h  examined  him  on  the  laniruaires, 
and  Rev. Dr.  Livingston  on  theology,  etc.  Soon  after, 
he  received  a  call  from  the  four  united  con fjre orations 
of  Queens  county,  on  Long  Island,  and  was  ordained 
and  installed  as  their  pastor,  in  the  Church  at 
Jamaica,  on  the  lltli  of  January,  1775,  the  Rev. 
Lambertus  de  Ronde,  of  Xew  York,  preaching  the 
ordination  sermon. 

"After  preaching  in  various  places.  Dr.  Froeligh 
was  finally,  in  1780,  settled  over  the  Church  at 
Schraalenburgh,  where  he  continued  about  forty 
years,  till  his  death. 

"Soon  after  his  settlement  here,  he  began  to  in- 
struct young  men  in  theology.  Any  of  our  ministers 
were  then,  and  long  after,  at  liberty  to  give  such  in- 
struction ;  but  the  students  were  required  to  spend  a 
short  season  of  study  with  the  Professor,  in  order  to 


REV.    PETER    LABAGH,    D.D. 


135 


obtain  a  certificate  to  admit  them  to  the  preparatory 
examination.  The  convention  had  chosen  a  Profes- 
sor of  Theology  in  1784,  and  afterwards  two  Lectors  of 
Theology;  but  the  students  were  still  required  to  go 
to  the  Professor  for  their  certificates.  Dr.  Meyer,  of 
Pompton,  one  of  these  Lectors,  died  in  1791,  and 
Rev.  Dr.  Fr«»eligh  was  chosen  in  his  stead. 

"In  1797,  the  convention  appointed  two  additional 
Professors  of  Tlieology,  viz:  Rev.  D.  Romeyn  and 
Rev.  S.  Froeligh;  but,  in  1823,  the  latter  was  de- 
posed l)y  General  Synod.  Dr.  Fi-oeligh  died  at 
Schraalenburgh,  October  8,  1827."* 

An  account  has  already  been  given  of  the  jDart 
which  Mr.  Labagh  pei-fbrmed  in  securing  the  perma- 
nent establishment  of  the  Institutions  at  Xew  Bruns- 
wick, and  rlie  proper  facilities  for  the  education  of 
young  men  for  tlie  nn'nistry.  Not  content,  however, 
with  extending  his  cheerful  cooperation  to  the  reli- 
gious and  other  enterprises  within  his  own  Church, 
that  were  suggested  by  a  regard  to  the  general  good, 
Mr.  Labagh  also  took  a  deep  interest  in  all  the  <i'reat 
benevolent  institutions  of  his  day,  in  which  Chris- 
tians met  on  common  ground,  and  combined  their 
efforts  for  the  attainment  of  common  ends.  While 
he  loved  the  Church  of  his  ancestors  with  a  truly 

*  Christian  Intelligencer,  March  31,  1859. 


136 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


! 


I  ! 


filial  affection,  his  heart  was  hxrge  enough  to  embrace 
in  its  regard  all  those  who  loved  the  lionor  of  his 
Saviour,  and  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-men.  Never 
was  there  a  more  open,  ingenuiais,  and  kindly  spirit, 
and  never  did  any  cause  which  gave  augury  of  bene- 
ficial results  appeal  to  his  sympathies  in  vain. 

Allusion  has  already  been  nui<le  to  his  agency  in 
organizing  the  Somerset  County  Bible  Society.  With 
equal  sincerity  of  heart,  and  with  the  same  zeal  that 
characterized  all  his  cfiorts  to  sustain  the  institutions 
of  reliirion  and  benevolence,  did  he  enter,  in  182-i-, 
into  the  movement  to  establish  the  New  Jersey 
Colonization  Society,  as  auxiliary  to  the  National 
Society  which  was  organized  in  1818.  He  was  not 
only  one  of  the  founders  and  earliest  members  of  the 
New  Jersey  Society,  but  from  the  day  of  its  organi- 
zation onward  he  was  its  liberal  and  steadfast  sup- 
porter. From  the  outset,  it  enlisted  in  its  favor  the 
ablest  and  most  distinguished  men  of  the  state.  At 
its  third  anniversary,  held  at  Princeton,  in  1827, 
Governor  Yroom,  since  the  American  minister  at  the 
court  of  Berlin,  and  Judge  Potts,  and  the  Pev.  Dr. 
Holdich,  then  of  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  but  now 
secretary  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  spoke  in 
advocacy  of  its  principles  and  object,  witli  an  elo- 
quence and  power  which  have  rarely  been  surjjassed. 

Nor  was  Mr.  Labagh  behind  them  in  the  energy 


l! 


I : 


with  which,  as  occasion  ofifered,  he  upheld  the  cause 
of  the  society,  and  urged  upon  the  public  mind  its 
claims  to  a  generous  considei-ation.     A  few  years 
later,  in   1S34,  when,  as  a  member  of  the  General 
Synod,  he  was  appointed,  with  Dr.  Ferris  and  others, 
to  constitute  the  committee  on  the  State  of  Relio-ion 
he  took  occasion,  in  the  report,  which,  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  he  submitted  to  the  Synod,  to  pre- 
sent to  the  attention  of  that  judicatory,  and  thus  to 
the  Churches  it  represented,  the  cause  of  African 
Colonization,  which  lay  so  near  his  own  heart.     The 
following  extract  from  the  report,  as  adopted  by  the 
General  Synod,  clearly  indicates   the  sentiments  of 
that  venerable  body,  as  well  as  of  the  eminent  gen- 
tlemen by  whom  the  report  was  introduced: 

''The  American  Colonization  Society  is   meetino- 
the  expectations  of  its  friends  in  providing  an  asylum 
for  the  enumcipated  colored  man  of  our  own  country; 
is   spreading   through   the  slaveholding  portions  of 
these  states   a   healtliful  feeling  on  the   subject  of 
slavery,  which,  it  is  hoped,  will  lead  finally  to  the 
entire  removal  of  that  cui'se  from  our  country ;  and 
has  secured  to  the  Christian  Church  on  the  coast  of 
Africa,  in  the  colony  of  Liberia,  a  most  important 
center  of  missionary  effort,  from  which,  divero-ino-  in 
different  directions,  our  missionaries  may  scatter  the 
good  seed  of  the  word  through  the  whole  of  south- 


.38 


MiCMOIR   OF   THE 


I  ! 


western  Africa,  and  from  ocean  to  ocean.  It  is  de- 
li<ditt'ul  to  observe  liow  o^encrallv  Christian  denomi- 
nations  are  regarding  it  in  this  light;  and  that  seve- 
ral have  accordingly,  through  it,  either  sent  already, 
or  are  making  arrangements  to  send  their  missiona- 
ries to  degraded,  neglected,  and  oppressed  Africa. 
While  we  remember  how  great  are  the  blessings  of 
civil  and  religious  freedom,  and  all  the  privileges  we 
possess,  and  commemorate  their  enjoyment  in  the 
house  of  God,  the  claims  of  Africa  in  her  wretched- 
ness, and  that  a  wretchedness  which  nominal  Chris- 
tendom has  aided  in  deepening,  should  be  particu- 
larlv  remembered." 

It  mav  be  added,  also,  that  to  the  American  Bible 
Society,  the  American  Tract  Society,  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  in 
connection  with  which  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church 
so  happily  carried  on  its  missionary  operations  up 
to  a  very  recent  date,^  and  the  American  Seamen's 
Friend  Society,  he  was  always  a  very  warm  friend, 
and,  l)einic  blessed  with  means,  a  liberal  contribu- 
tor.  Of  the  Bible  Society  he  said,  on  a  public  oc- 
casion:  '^  While  this  Society  has  been  blessing  with 

*  The  connection  was  <lis.-«olved  by  resolution  of  the  General 
Synod,  at  its  session  held  at  Ithaca,  New  York,  in  June,  1857,  and 
by  similar  resolution  of  the  American  Board,  at  its  annual  meeting 
held  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  September,  1857. 


1 


I  ! 


the  word  of  life  every  section  of  our  own  country,  it 
is  efficiently  directing  its  charities  to  other  lands,  and 
is  preparing  the  way,  in  concert  with  similar  foreign 
societies,  to  give  the  Bible  to  the  loorld  in  a  definite 
period.  Already  have  its  successful  labors  com- 
mended it  to,  and  secured  f(>r  it  a  high  place  in  the 
confidence  of  Christians;  and  it  should  continue  to 
receive  increasinii:  benefactions  from  every  member 
of  our  Churches."  On  the  same  occasion,  he  bore  a 
similar  and  deserved  testimony  to  the  usefulness  of 
the  Seamen's  Friend  Society.  " In  the  principal  ports 
on  our  coast,"  said  he,  "it  has  its  seamen's  chaplains, 
and  various  means  of  raising  the  neglected  and  gene- 
rous mariner,  and  savinsj  him  from  the  influence  of 
evils,  which  have  made  his  pursuits  the  grave  of 
every  pious  emotion  and  holy  purpose,  and  rendered 
him  the  confirmed  slave  of  debasing  habits.  Abroad 
it  has  established  chaplaincies  in  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  Canton,  Havre,  and  is  (in  1S34:),  preparing  to 
occupy  several  other  important  places. 

"  Our  indebtedness  in  all  the  enjoyments  of  social 
life  to  the  adventurous  sailor,  his  low  moral  condition, 
his  exposure  to  sudden  death,  and  the  fact  that  he 
goes,  in  many  a  case,  from  our  own  Churches,  should 
give  this  charity  a  place  near  every  Christian's  heart, 
and  a  large  share  of  his  bounty." 


.^^■^S0:^i^?siiMK^S^^>;;;^A^  '■' 


140 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 


In  18*28  an  incident  occurred  in  the  Clnircli,  which 
again  called  into  requisition  tlie  services  of  Mr.  La- 
bagh.     In  July,  of  the  previous  3'ear,  a  student*  of 

*Mr.  Leonard  B.  Van  Dyke,  a  member  of  a  church  under  the 
care  of  the  Chissis  of  Albany. 

A  pamphlet  of  thirty-one  pages,  which  grew  out  of  the  transac- 
tion here  referred  to,  was  printed  at  Snrntoga  Spring?,  in  1829,  en- 
titled: **The  Unlawfulness  of  the  Subscription  required  of  the 
Ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  ;  by  a  Friend 
to  the  Bible."  The  writer  strongly  objected  to  the  rule  in  the  Con- 
stitution, article  I,  section  x,  which  requires  the  ministers  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,  by  the  subscription  of  their  names  to  the 
formula,  to  assent  to  the  doctrines  held  by  that  Church,  and  to 
promise  to  teach  and  defend  them !  From  the  pamphlet,  it  would 
appear  that  he  was  in  favor  of  allowing  all  ministers,  respectively, 
to  use  the  facilities,  and  the  moral  power  of  their  office,  for  the 
promulgation  of  any  doctrine  which  to  each  one  might  seem  best! 

A  more  preposterous  idea  was  probably  never  advanced.     The 

Church  requires  no  person  to  enter  her  ministry  against  his  own 

consent.     But  if.  on  his  voluntary  application,  he  be  admitted  to 

licensure  or  ordination,  it  surely  cannot  be  regarded  as  oppressive 

or  unreasonable  to  require  conformity  to  her  established  doctrines 

and  usages.     If  he  does  not  like  them,  he  has  an  easy  remedy.     He 

need  not  incur  the  obligation  to  teach  or  to  oljserve  them. 

"The  world  is  all  before  him,  where  to  choose 
His  place  of  rest,  and  Providence  his  guide." 

Whoever  feels  that  his  convictions  and  his   heart  are  not  in  the 

Church  which  he  serves  as  a  minister,  whatever  Church  that  may 

be,  is  in  honor  bound,  to  say  nothing  of  any  higher  consideration, 

to  resign  his  office,   and  to  seek  for  more  congenial   associations 
elsewhere. 

Tlie  writer  of  the  pamphlet  concludes  hi?  argument,  against  the 


tlie  Theological  Seniinarv  at  N"ew  Brunswick,  havincr 
passed  through  the  usual  course  of  study  with  com- 
mendable diligence,  presented  himself,  with  others, 
before  the  Board  of  Superintendents  for  examination, 
with  a  view  to  his  obtaining  the  professorial  certiii- 
cate  which  is  ordinarilj-  essential  to  examination  for 
licensure  by  the  Classis.  He  was  found  to  entertain 
doubts  of  so  serious  a  nature  in  regard  to  several 
important  doctrines,  that  he  could  not  subscribe  to 
the  standards  of  the  Church.  The  Board  of  Super- 
intendents adopted  a  resolution  advising  him  to  con- 
tinue a  longer  time  in  the  seminary,  and  to  pay 
particular  attention  to  the  subjects  in  connection 
with  which  his  difficulties  arose. 

Without  either  acceding  to  the  suggestions  of  the 

rule  requiring  subscription  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  in  the 
following  words: 

•'  We  have  the  right  to  hope,  that  those  whom  it  concerns  will 
not  shrink  from  the  performance  of  their  duty ;  and  that  the  General 
Synod  will  not  wait  until  our  Theological  Hall  shall  be  emptied  of 
its  occupants,  and  the  Churches  stripped  of  their  ministers,  before 
they  will  expunge  the  unlawful,  unscriptural  formula  of  Subscription, 
from  the  Constitution.  And  every  true  friend  of  the  Church  will 
say,  stet  Veritas,  ruat  coelum." 

Were  that  formula  to  disappear  from  the  Constitution,  there 
would  soon  be  neither  "Theological  Hall"  to  be  "emptied,"  nor 
"  Churches'  to  be  "  stripped  of  their  ministers."  And  it  might  be 
written  of  our  denomination,  as  it  was  written  of  ancient  Troy, 
Ilium  fuit. 


fr 


U2 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


Board,  or  receiving  a  regular  Jis.nission  from  the 
Seininarv,  he  applied  tc  a  Pre.bytery  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  for  licensure,  and  was  accepted  by 
then»,  in  violation,  as  it  was  alleged,  of  ccrtani  arti- 
cles of  correspondence,  n.utually  agreed  np-n    by 
the  Reforn.ed   Dutch  Synod  and  the  Tresbyter.an 
Assembly.     The  matter  svibsequently  came  up  tor 
adjudication  on  complaint  of  the  General  Synod.    A 
communication  on  the  subject  was  received  n.  1829, 
from  the  General  Assend)ly,  through  its  stated  clerk, 
the  Rev.  Ezra  Stiles  Ely,  D.D.,  and  referred  to  a 
committee,  of  which   Dr.  J.  M.  Mathews  atid  the 
Rev.  B.  C.  Taylor  were  members,  anil  .;)t  which  Mi . 
Labagh  was  chairman. 

In  the  report  submitted  to  Synod  by  Mr.  Labagh, 
in  behalf  of  the  committee,  they  state:  "That  they 
have  attentively  considered  the  sentiments  expressed 
in  the  communication  (of  the  General  Assembly), 
and  the  decision  of  that  highly  respectable  body,  on 
which  they  feel  no  disposition  to  animadvert.     \  et, 
in  order  to  prevent  the  recurrence  of  similar  circum- 
stances, which  may  bo  unpleasant  in  their  tendency, 
and  calculated  to  interrupt  the  harmony   which  at 
present  exists  between  the  two  Churches,  your  com- 
mittee would  reconiniend  the  adoption  of  the  tollow- 
i„.  resolution,  in  order  to  be  communicated  to  the 
next  General  Asseiuhly : 


"  Resolved^  (If  the  General  Assembly  concur  here- 
in), That  the  following  additional  article  be  added 
to  the  articles  of  correspondence  between  the  two 
Clinrches, 

''That  none  of  the  inferior  Judicatories,  under  the 
care  of  the  corresponding  Churches,  shall  be  at 
liberty  to  admit  into  their  respective  bodies,  or  under 
their  care,  any  student,  or  licentiate,  from  the  sister 
Church,  without  a  regular  dismission  from  the  eccle- 
siastical body,  or  theological  seminary,  to  which  he 
is  considered  as  attached." 

The  Sj-nod  api>ointed  Mr.  Labagh  the  seciindus  or 
alternate  of  Dr.  AVilliam  C.  Brownlee,  to  attend  the 
next  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly,  as  the  dele- 
gate from  the  lieformed  Dutch  Church.  Dr.  Brown- 
lee being  prevented  from  discharging  the  duties  of 
the  office,  they  devolved  upon  Mr.  Labagh.  He 
accordingly  attended  the  session  of  the  Assembly, 
and  in  June,  1830,  reported  to  General  Synod  that 
"he  was  cordially  received,  and  admitted  to  the 
privileges  of  a  corresponding  member;  and  that  the 
General  Assembly  readily  adopted  the  article  pro- 
posed at  the  last  session  of  this  body,  to  be  added 
to  the  articles  of  correspondence  between  the  two 
Churches." 


144 


MEMOIR. 


The  article  thus  adopted  is  still  to  be  found  in  the 
respective  digests  of  the  two  Churches,  arnono-  the 
rules  established  for  tlie  regulation  of  that  truly  fra- 
ternal and  affectionate  correspondence,  which  has 
subsisted  with  such  happy  results,  between  the  two 
denominations,  for  a  period  of  nearly  three-quarters 
of  a  century. 


CHAPTEK   YIII. 

Great  Revival  at  Harlixgkn  —  Religiou8  History  or  Somerset 
County — Tennext  —  Frelinghuvsen  —  Successes  at  Harlixgen 
IN  1810  AND  1817 — The  Revival  of  1831  —  Its  Commencement  — 
Incidents  —  Recollections  of  John  F.  Hageman,  Esq.  —  Ad- 
ditions TO  THE  Church. 

We  are  now  brought  to  that  particular  event, 
which,  in  the  history  of  Mr.  Labagh's  pastoral  labors, 
may  justly  claim  the  dignity  of  an  era.  It  w^as  the 
great  Revival  at  Harlingen  in  the  year  1831.  At 
several  different  periods  during  the  previous  years  of 
his  ministry  in  that  congregation,  it  had  pleased 
God  to  impart,  in  unwonted  measure,  a  saving  effi- 
cacy to  the  truth.  The  region  around  the  Church, 
and  indeed  almost  the  whole  of  Somerset  county,  in 
which  it  was  embraced,  had  been  for  more  than  a 
century  past  one  of  those  favored  localities,  like 
ancient  Hermon,  or  like  the  mountains  of  Zion,  where 
*4he  Lord  commanded  the  blessing,  even  life  for- 


ever more. 


5? 


146 


MEMOIR    OF   THE 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


147 


Sprung  Iroiii  the  Holland  stock,  its  early  settlei^ 
brought  with  them   the   religions   and   educational 
institutions,  which,  ever  since  the  Reformation,  had 
characterized   the   fatherland.     Wherever   the  emi- 
grants established  their  colonies,  the  church  and  the 
school  house  arose  side  by  side,  the  index  of  two  coop- 
erating  forces,  which   are  not  less  essential   to  the 
prosperity  of  an  organized  community,  than  to  the 
future  and  eternal  welfare  of  its  individual  members. 
With  these  they  also  brought  the  evangelical  prin- 
ciples and  spirit,  which  they  had  imbibed  amid  the 
sacred  scenes  of  home,  and  the  traditions  and  customs 
of  habitual  attendance  upon  the  worship  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, which  had  been  handed  down  from  parent  to 
child.     A  long  line  of  learned  and  faithful  ministei-s 
preached  to  them  and  their  descendants,  from  Sab- 
bath to  Sabbath,  the  simple  doctrines  of  the  Gospel, 
testifying  repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.     And,  as  might  be  expected,  God 
granted  them,  in  addition  to  these  blessings,  that 
which  was  still  greater,  and    to  which   the   others 
were  all  only  as  means  to  an  end,  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  the  conversion  of  sinners  from  the 
error  of  their  ways. 

As  early  as  1726,  we  lind  the  evidence  of  God's 
distinguishing  mercy  toward  the  people  of  this  region, 
in  the  addition  to  the  Churches  under  the  care  of 


I 


1 1 


the  Rev.  Mr.  Frelingliuysen,^  during,  a  single  year,  of 
thirty -eight  persons  on  confession  of  their  faith.  To 
these  same  Churches  there  were  again  added  during 

*  The  Reformed  Dutch  Churches  of  North  Branch,  Raritan, 
Six-Mile-Run  and  New  Brunswick. 

In  regard  to  Mr.  Frelinghuysen's  sermons,  some  of  which  have 
been  published  in  an  English  translation,  by.  the  Board  of  Publica- 
tion of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  Dr.  Messier,  in  a  Paper  on 
"The  Hollanders  in  New  Jersey,"  prepared  and  read  by  him,  before 
the  Historical  Society  of  that  State,  in  1850,  remarks  as  follows: 

"The  sermons  are  of  a  high  order  of  excellence;  direct,  pungent, 
spiritual,  they  aim  at  the  heart,  and  effectually  reach  it.  I  doubt  if 
they  were  surpassed  in  these  characteristics  by  any  of  their  day. 
They  show  that  Theodorus  Jacobus  Frelinghuysen  was  among  the 
men  of  his  age ;  few  of  whom,  in  fact,  exerted  a  wider  or  more 
beneficial  influence  upon  the  cause  of  spiritual  Christianitj\  The 
power,  a  spirit  of  formalizing  opposition  to  practical  godliness, 
which  conquered  Edwards  at  Northampton,  and  drove  him  into 
exile  among  the  Indians,  Frelinghuysen  met  at  Raritan,  nearly 
half  a  century  earlier,  and  completely  vanquished.  This,  in  itself, 
shows  what  stufiF  there  was  in  him." 

President  Edwards,  in  his  "  Narrative  of  Surprising  Conversions," 
dated  November  6,  1736,  which  he  was  induced  to  write  by  the 
interest  manifested  by  the  Rev.  Drs.  Watts  and  Guyse,  and  the 
request  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Colman,  of  England,  refers  in  the  following 
terms  to  the  connection  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  with  the 
religious  awakening  in  New  Jersey: 

"But  this  shower  of  divine  blessing  has  been  yet  more  extensive: 
there  was  no  small  degree  of  it  in  some  parts  of  the  Jerseys,  as  I 
was  informed  when  I  was  at  New  York,  (in  a  long  journey  I  took 
at  that  time  of  the  year  for  my  health),  by  some  people  of  the  Jer- 


148 


^n:MorR  of  the 


the  space  of  three  years,  comprising  1729,  1734,  and 
1739,  eighty-two  cominiiiHcants  on  confession  of  their 
faith.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  these  converts,  or 
some  of  them  at  least,  were  the  persons  referred  to 
by  the  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent,  in  his  letter  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Prince,  of  Boston,  which  the  hitter  publislied  in 
his  "  Christian  History."  Tlie  letter  bears  the  date 
of  August  24,  1744,  and  was  written  a  little  more 
than  a  year  after  Mr.  Tennent  had  resigned  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  the  Church  in  IS'ew  Brunswick,  which 
he  had  held  for  sixteen  years,  to  accept  that  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Cliurch  of  Philadelphia.  Tlie 
following  is  an  extract  from  the  letter: 

''The  labors  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Frelinijliuvsen,  a 
Dutch  Calvinist  minister,  were  much  blessed  to  the 
people  of  New  Brunswick,  and  places  adjacent;  es- 
pecially about  the  time  of  his  coming  among  them, 
wdn'ch  was  about  twenty-four  years  a^ro. 

"  When  I  came  there,  which  was  about  seven  years 

seys  whom  I  saw,  especially  the  Rev.  Mr.  William  Tennent,  a  min- 
ister, who  seemed  to  have  such  things  much  at  heart,  told  me  of  a 
very  great  awakening  of  many  in  a  |>lace  called  the  Mountains,  un- 
der the  ministry  of  one  Mr.  Cross ;  and  of  a  very  considerable  re- 
vival of  religion  in  another  place,  under  the  ministry  of  his 
brother,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gilbert  Tennent ;  and  also  at  another  place, 
under  the  ministry  of  a  very  pious  young  gentleman,  a  Dutch  min- 
ister, whose  name,  as  I  remember,  was  Freelinghousen." 


after,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  much  of  the  fruits 
of  his  ministry ;  divers  of  his  hearers,  with  whom  I 
had  the  opportunity  of  conversing,  appeared  to  be 
converted  persons,  by  their  soundness  in  principle, 
Christian  experience,  and  pious  practice ;  and  these 
persons  declared  that  the  ministrations  of  the  afore- 
said   gentleman    were   the    means    thereof.      This, 
together  with  a  kind  letter  which  he  sent  me,  re- 
specting the  dividing  the  word  aright,  and  giving  to 
every  man  his  portion  in  due  season,  through  the 
divine  blessing,  excited  me  to  greater  earnestness  in 
ministerial  labors." 

The  single  Church  of  Raritan  (Somerville)  received 
during  the  years  1750  and  1751,  twenty-seven  mem- 
bers.    During  the  four  years  from  1785  to  1789,  the 
same  Church  received  eighty-two.     During  the  two 
years  from  1802  to  1804,  it  received  seventy-seven. 
And  during  the  years  1821  and  1822,  it  received  the 
astonishing  number  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight. 
Since  that  time,  and  under  the  ministry  of  its  present 
highly  esteemed  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Messier,  it  has 
not  only  enjoyed  the  blessing  of  a  continued  and 
healthful  increase,  but  in  the  years  1837  and  1838  it 
was  visited  by  an  extensive  and  powerful  revival  of 
religion  which  added  eighty  members   to  its  com- 
munion.* 

*For  these  statistics,  see  Dr.  Messler's  "  Pastor's  Memorial."  1853. 


i 


150 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


Otiier  Churches  there  doubtless  are  in  the  same 
county,  and  in   the  same  region,  whose  records,  if 
tliev  could  be  publislied  to  the  world,  would  furnish 
a  history  no  less  nuirked  by  similar  outpourings  of 
the  Divine  Spiiit  upon  the  good  seed  of  the  word, 
and    by  similar  harvests    gathered  in   through   the 
grace  and  to  the  glory  of  the  Master.     Among  these 
the  Church  at  Ilarlingen,  during  the  ministry  of  Mr. 
Labagh,  is  justly  entitled  to  be  numbered.     From  its 
records  we  learn  that  on  one  sacramental  occasion, 
in  the  year  1810,  that  Church  received  an  accession 
of  nearly  twenty  members  on  confession   of  their 
faith.     A  number,  which,  compared  with  the  general 
measure  of  increase  then   enjoyed,   was    unusually 
large.     Seven  years  of  pastoral  labor,  of  preaching 
and  of  prayer,  again  passed  away,  attended,  it  is 
true,  with  a  gradual  enlargement  of  the  Church's 
membership,  but  with  no  special  or  striking  exhibi- 
tions of  religious  interest.     In  the  early  part  of  1817 
the  importance  of  eternal  things  seems  to  have  been 
impressed  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  with  more 
than  ordinary  solemnity.   A  spirit  of  earnest  thouo-ht- 
fulness  and  inquiry  prevaded  the  congregation.     A 
larger  attendance  was  seen  at  the  praver  meetincrs 
and  at  the  church.     And  the  word  of  truth  was  ac- 
companied with  evident  power  to  the  hearts  of  those 
who  heard  it.     The  result  was,  that  at  a  single  com- 


KEY.    PETER    LABAGH,    D.D. 


151 


munion    season  twenty  persons  were  added  to  the 
Church  by  a  profession  of  their  faith  in  the  Lord 

Jesus  Christ. 

During  all  the  subsequent  years  of  his  ministry 
Mr.  Labagh  was  greatly  encouraged  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  his  labors,  by  the  success  with  which,  under 
the  divine  blessing,  they  were  uniformly  followed. 
But  it  was  in  1S31  that  God  honored  him  as  His  in- 
strument in  a  work  of  grace  so  deep  and  so  extensive 
that  it  shook  the  whole  community  for  miles  around. 
The  impressions  then  made  upon  tlie  hearts  of  those 
who  passed  through  that  season  of  spiritual  revival, 
the  scenes  and  the  experiences  which  were  then  wit- 
nessed and  felt, 

"When  heaven  came  down  their  souls, to  greet, 
And  glory  crowned  the  mercy  seat," 

remain  to  this  day,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  among  the  sweetest  and  dearest 
recollections  of  the  past.  The  tears  of  penitence,  the 
faith  wliich  laid  hold  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as 
the  only  Saviour  of  the  lost,  and  brouglit  the  promises 
with  all  their  fullness  of  blessing  into  the  soul ;  the 
tenderness  of  Christian  love,  the  sacred  fervor  of  de- 
votion, the  dawning  of  hope  and  of  heaven  upon  the 
eyes  once  closed  in  spiritual  darkness;  the  psalms  and 
hymns,  the  thanksgivings  and  prayers,  offered  in  the 
social  meeting,  in  wood  and  field,— these,  to  many 


.  ':.'  ;i»f  ^t£iwi.i:P''^,,:'S-a.t!wvrt!.s=w> 


^^^if?''^^^^ 


152 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 


who  are  yet  living,  are  as  fresli  ai.-l  vivid  as  the  events 
of  yesterday.      And   so  they  .vill  continue   in  the 
I     future.     Tiiey  will  never  be  forgotten  so  long  as  n,e- 
niory  endures. 

As  in  the  apostolic  Church  tlie  little  gathering  of 
disciples  in  "  an  upper  looni,"  where  they  "  all  con- 
linued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication," 
was  the  precursor  of  Pentecost  with  its  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  a,.d  of  lire,  and  its  converts  counted 
by  thousands,  so  the  crowded  i>rayer  meetings,  and 
the  earnest  supplications  which  thev  sent  up  to  hea- 
ven, were  the  harbingers  of  a  day  of  pr,.sj.erity  and 
enlargement,  such  as  the  old  Church  at  narlin<.en 
had  never  before  known.    The  good  work  began"  in 
the  outskirts  of  the  congregation,  and  traveled  in  to- 
ward the  center.     Its  progress  was  rapid,  and  soon 
the  whole  mass  was  brought  muler  the  solemn  and 
awakening  influence  of  the  Holy   Spirit.     Prayer 
meetings  were  held  at  private  houses  on  almost  every 
evening  in  the  week.      There  was   an    unseen  but 
.n.ghty  power  hovering  over  the  community,  which 
came  down   upon   the  hearts  of  God's  people,  and 
moved  them  as  by  one  conmion  impulse.     The  '.,.eat 
subjects  of  thought  and  conversation  were  the^love 
of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  sinnere.     Those  who  had 
long  been  impenitent  and  careless,  were  aroused  from 
the  torpor  of  years,  and  constraint  to  crv  out  from 


ii       y 


REV.    PEl'ER    LABAGH,    D.D. 


153 


I  ; 


the  depths  of  their  aching  hearts,  '' Wliat  must  I  do 
to  he  saved  ?  "     Tlie  religious  feeling  became  so  gen- 
eral, that  it  was  deemed  proper  to  appoint  special 
services  in  the  church.     For  three  days  in  succession 
the  Gospel  was  preached  with  great  effect.     At  the 
close  of  the  service,  on  each  day,  there  was  an  in- 
vitation given  to  all  who  ^vere  anxious  about  their 
souls,  to  meet  in  the  Consistory  chamber,  opposite  the 
church,  for  the  purpose  of  conversation.     The  room 
was  crowded,  and  the  scene  one  of  deep  and  solemn 
interest.     There  were   the  old  and  the   young,  the 
worldlv,  the  self-righteous,  and  the  skeptic,  all  bowed 
down  under  a  sense  of  sin.     xVt  these  meetings  Mr. 
Labagh  presided,  and  gave  a  word  in  season  to  each 
inquirer. 

Throughout  the  whole  summer,  the  young  converts, 
who  had  not  yet  made  a  profession  of  religion,  met 
together,  in  private  places,  for  prayer.     Here  would 
be  seen  standing  up  to  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
those  who  but  a  short  time  before  w^ere  accustomed 
to  scoff  at  religion,  and  indulge  in  open  profanity. 
Some  cases  of  conversion  were  very  striking.     Two 
brothers,  in  the  early  prime  and  vigor  of  life,  were 
plowing  in  the  field.     A  neighbor  said  to  them,  as 
he  was  passing  by,  "  Come,  are  you  not  going  with 
us  to  church  to-day  '^ "    One  of  them  answered,  ''No; 
we  have  other  work  to  do.     Besides  it  will  do  us  no 
7* 


154 


mf:moir  of  the 


good,  it'  we  go/'    Wlien  strongly  urged  by  liis  neigh- 
bor, lie  for  once  finally  consented.     He  left  his  plow 
in  the  furrow  and  went  to  church.     The  truth,  like 
an  arrow,  guided  by  the  unerring  Spirit,  found  its 
way  into  his  heart.     He  retired  from  the  church  un- 
der the  most  pungent  convictions  of  sin.     So  deep 
were  his  inipressions,  and  so  overwhelming  was  the 
revelation   to  his  own  soul  of  his  condition  before 
God,  and  his  prospects  for  the  eternal  world,  that  lie 
could  not  rest.     For  some  time  after,  he  was  in  a 
state  of  mind  bordering  almost  npon  insanity,  until 
at  length  a  new  illumination  of  the  Spirit  disclosed 
to  him  the  Cross  of  Christ.     Then  his  burden,  like 
that  of   Christian    in    tlie   Pilgrinrs   Progress,  was 
"loosed  from  off  his  shoulders,  and  fell  from  off  his 
back,  and  began  to  tumble,  and  so  contiimed  to  do 
till  it  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  sepulchre,  where  it 
fell  in,  and  he  saw  it  no  more."     Then  arrain   like 
Christian,  he  looked  at  the  Cross,  and  "  looked  again, 
even  till  the  springs  that  were  in   his  head  sent  the 
waters  down  his  cheeks,"  and  he  went  on   his  way, 
singing  joyfully, 

"  Blest  Cross !  blest  Sepulchre !  blest  rather  be 
The  Man  that  there  was  put  to  shame  for  me !  " 

As  might  be  expected,  under  such  circumstances, 
the  pastoral  duties  of  Mr.  Labagh  were  greatly  in- 
creased.    But  the  Master,  whom  he  sought  to  honor, 


REV.  pp:tkr  labagh,  d.d. 


155 


^rave  him  strength  for  the  heavy  service  to  which  he 
was  called. 

Many  of  those  who  shared  the  labors,  or  became 
the  subjects  of  the  revival,  have  passed  away  from 
the  scenes  of  earth,  and  entered  upon  the  rest  of 
heaven.     The  incidents  which  occurred  under  their 
(uvn  observation,  the  impressions  made  upon   their 
own  minds   and  hearts,   and   the  retrospect  of  the 
whole  event  as  it  stood  out  before  them  an  accom- 
plished tact  in  their  memory  of  the  past,  interesting 
and  instructive,  as  in  many  cases  they  would  doubt- 
less be,  are  now  numbered  among  the  treasures  of 
oblivion.     From  those  who  yet  survive,  enough  has 
been  ascertained,  however,  to  show,  that  to  the  old 
Church  of  Harlingen,  the  year  1831  was  a  year  of 
the  right  hand  of  the  Most  High. 

In  addition  to  the  information  derived  from  verbal 
statements,  and  already  embodied  in  our  narrative,  a 
gentleman  of  eminent  ability,  who  resided  within  the 
bounds  of  the  congregation,  at  the  time  to  which 
we  refer,  has  furnished  the  following  communica- 
tion in  regard  to  the  revival,  which  presents  the 
prominent  points  of  its  history  with  vividness  and 
force.  The  writer  is  John  F.  Hageman,  Esq.,  of 
Princeton,  New  Jersey,  a  distinguished  member  of 

the  bar. 


156 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


"  To  TJiE  Rev.  J.  A.  Todd  : 

"My  Dear  Sir:  The  crowning  crloiy  of  tlie  niinis- 
try  of  Dr.  Labag-li,  was  tlie  Tlevival  of  1831,  in  liis 
congregation  ;it  Ilarlingen.  It  was  tlien  and  tliere 
tliat  tl.e  Lord  came  down  in  his  glory,  and  affixed 
his  seal  to  the  labors  of  his  servant.  AVliile  that 
mercifnl  visitation  was  not  ascribable,  perhaps,  to 
any  specific  and  direct  nn'nistrations  of  the  pastor, 
still,  his  wisdom  and  vigihmce  so  guarded  the  nse  of 
the  means  of  grace,  as  to  attract  the  Saviour  when 
he  was  passing  that  way. 

"  For  many  years  previously  had  Dr.  Labagh  bro- 
ken, to  that  people,  the  bread  of  life ;  and  his  labors 
had  been  useful ;  his  Church  had  grown.  But  never, 
in  all  his  ministry,  liad  he  received  such  precious 
tokens  of  the  divine  favor;  nor  had  spiritual  religion 
ever  received  such  a  sacred  impulse  in  that  congre- 
gation. 

"That  Revival  Inaugurated  a  new  era  in  that 
Chnrch.  The  cause  of  Christ  then  took  a  mighty 
stride  onward.  The  church  membership  became 
active  and  influential.  The  tone  of  piety  was  deep- 
ened. Family  religion  was  not  left  without  a  family 
altar.  Sunday  schools,  which  were  formerlv  depen- 
dent upon  the  theological  students  of  Princeton,  now 
found  teachers  and  supei'intendents  among  the  hosts 
of  those  wdio  had  just  come  up  from  the  valley  of 


dry  bones.  The  contributions  of  the  Church  began 
to  make  a  more  suitable  response  to  the  various  calls 
of  charity.  There  was  no  longer  any  lack  of  men  to 
officer  the  Church  efficiently.  Joyfully  did  the  ark 
seem  to  glide  along  upon  the  waters,  to  the  praise  of 
the  m-c'dt  Head  of  the  Church.  In  a  word,  the 
Church  was  revived,  enlarged,  strengthened. 

"I  was  quite  a  lad,  and  lived  in  Ilarlingen,  when 
that  Revival  took  place ;  yet  old  enough  to  be  im- 
pressed by  what  I  then  witnessed.  [N'early  every 
fact  I  mention  is  within  my  own  recollection  ;  and 
very  few  of  my  statements  are  founded  entirely  upon 
the  recollection  of  other  persons.  The  conversion  of 
children  is  a  subject  that  receives  more  consideration 
by  the  Chui-cb  now^  than  it  did  thirty  years  ago. 

"Children  mingling  in  the  scenes  of  a  religious 
revival,  are  often  exercised   in   sympathy  with  the 
awakened  adult.     Were  I  to  state  how  my  young 
heart  was  affected  by  that  invisible  power  which 
wrouo-ht  such  a  wonderful  change  in  the  hearts  of 
that  congregation ;   were  I  to  describe  my  feelings, 
when  I  heard  new  voices  of  prayer  from  those  who 
had  never  been  heard  to  pray  before,  and  when  I 
saw  persons,  including  my  own  kindred,  in  peniten- 
tial tears,  conversing  anxiously  about  the  salvation  of 
their  souls ;  were  1  to  relate  how  I  was  impressed  by 
the  unusual  earnestness  of  the  preaching,  the  unusual 


i! 


M 


158 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 


fervency  of  the  prayers,  the  unusual  solemnity  and 
sweetness  of  the  sacred  songs,  that  characterized  the 
public  worship  in  tliose  days ;  yea,  more,  were  I  to 
disclose,  how  I,  at  that  time  a  little  boy,  just  in  my 
teens,  found  myself  unbidden,  out  of  doors,  alone, 
with  mv  little  Testament  in  mv  hand,  reading,  weep- 
ing,  praying,  yet  no  person  knowing  or  suspecting 
that  I,  or  children  like  me,  could  be  affected  by  the 
scenes  around  me — you  w^ould  better  understand 
liow  mv  memory  can  reach  back  some  thirty  years, 
and  bring  up  the  events  of  that  day ;  and  perliaps, 
too,  you  might  learn  not  to  overlook  children  and 
youth,  in  a  revival  of  religion. 

'^The Revival  followed  closely  after  the  organization 
of  the  Blawenburgh  Church,  which  was  constituted, 
principally,  from  the  southern  portion  of  the  Ilar- 
lino-en  couirreiration,  and  embraced  also  a  portion  of 
the  Churches  at  Kingston  and  Princeton.  The  vil- 
lage of  Rocky  Hill,  then  without  a  church,  lay  be- 
tween Blaw^enburgh  and  Kingston,  and  also  contained 
iamilies  that  belonged  to  Ilarlingen.  The  Rocky 
Hill  school  house  stood  on  the  confines  of  the  three 
congregations,  and  it  was  occupied  as  a  Sunday  school, 
and  for  preaching  alternately  by  the  pastors  of  King- 
ston and  Harlingen,  and  by  the  pastor  of  Blawen- 
burgh, when  that  Church  had  one.  It  was,  to  a  great 
extent,  under  the  care  of  the  theological  students  of 


KEV.   PETER    LABAGH,    D.D. 


159 


Princeton,  who  managed  the  Sabbath  school,  and 
conducted  prayer  meetings  w^ith  great  fidelity  and 
success.  The  students  labored  in  like  manner  at 
Blawenburgh,  at  the  time  of  and  previous  to  the  or- 
ganization of  that  Church. 

"At  that  day  the  young  men  of  the  seminary  w^ere 
more  zealous  in  doing  good,  in  the  country  around 
Princeton,  than  they  now  are.  This  may  be  owing 
to  the  fact  that  now  they  do  not  receive  so  mucli  en- 
couragement from  the  pastors,  nor  from  the  professors, 
as  they  then  did ;  and  it  may,  also,  be  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  pastors  are  now  better  able  to  do  their 
work  themselves.  ***** 

"One  of  the  students  preached  at  Rocky  Hill, 
Blawenburgh,  and  Cherry  Valley,  in  the  school 
houses,  accompanied  and  assisted  by  others;  and  soon 
the  Revival  followed  these  young  men  from  Princeton 
to  those  several  school  districts.  Their  use  of  the 
'  anxious  seat'  excited  some  opposition  among  the 
wise  and  prudent,  but  notwithstanding  this,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  awakening  the  people  ;  and  great  crowds 
attended  their  meetings,  and  many  souls  were  con- 
verted through  their  instrumentality. 

"  Dr.  Labagh  continued  to  exercise  a  quam  pas- 
toral supervision  over  his  old  parishioners  at  Blaw- 
enburgh, after  that  Church  was  organized.  He  was 
much  beloved  by  them ;  and  the  magnanimity  he 


r 


displayed,  in  fostering  that  new  enterprise,  com- 
mended liim  anew  to  their  respect.  He  preached 
occasionally  for  them.  He  visited  them.  lie  ffave 
his  counsel  to  them,  when  asked.  Such  was  his  po- 
sition, when  the  students  were  multiplvino;  their 
prayer  meetings  and  anxious  seats,  and  when  tliere 
was  evidently  an  awakened  state  of  reliorious  feelina* 
in  that  part  of  ihe  country. 

"While  Dr.  Lahagh  did  not  endorse  the  new  mea- 
sure of  the  anxious  seat,  nor  stimulate  the  high 
wrought  zeal  of  those  young  hi-ethren  of  the  semi- 
nary, he  did  not  discard  their  aid,  nor  proscribe 
their  labors.  On  the  contrary,  he  attended  their 
meetings,  and  sought  to  strengthen  the  good  and 
counteract  the  evil.  In  this,  he  showed  that  sound 
and  discreet  judgment  which  was  one  of  his  promi- 
nent characteristics.  By  mingling  with  those  who 
were  thus  awakened,  he  became  himself  aroused. 
This  was  evinced  by  his  earnest  exhortations  and  ser- 
mons— his  pastoral  visits  from  house  to  house,  and 
his  daily  conversation  among  his  own  people  at  Har- 
lingen. 

"Believing  that  the  bearing  of  testimony  was  one 
approved  means  of  promoting  a  revival  of  religion,  he 
invited  the  young  man  above  mentioned,  wlio  had  then 
just  closed  his  course  at  the  seminary,  to  preach  for 
him  in  the  church  at  Ilarlingen.    He  accepted  the  in- 


vitation, and  preached  with  great  effect.  His  soul  was 
moved  within  him.  He  impressed  the  fervor  of  his 
spirit  upon  the  audience  ;  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  had 
brought  with  him,  from  the  blessed  scenes  of  grace, 
the  power  of  the  Holj^  Spirit. 

"  Dr.  Labagh  did  not  fail  to  perceive  that  his  peo- 
ple needed  especial  attention  at  this  time ;  and  he 
accordingly  appointed  frequent  prayer  meetings,  and 
availed  himself  of  the  aid  of  several  of  the  Princeton 
students,  among  whom,  I  recollect,  was  Mr.  William 
M.  Thomson,"^  afterwards  missionary  to  Palestine. 
Dr.  Labagh  felt  that  he  was  not  able  to  do  all  the 
preaching  and  other  pastoral  labor  that  was  de- 
manded by  the  state  of  things  then  pressing  him,  and 
he  fortunatel}"  secured  the  assistance  of  the  Pev.  J. 
F.  Schermerhorn,  and  appointed  a  series  of  public 
meetings  for  preaching,  in  the  church  and  school 
houses  in  the  congregation — then  called  a  'protracted 


meetinor. 


"  Mr.  Schermerhorn  was  a  plain,  practical,  pointed, 
earnest  preacher;  of  good  personal  appearance,  in 
the  vigor  of  life,  and  well  calculated  to  impress 
such  a  congregation.  He  had  been  employed  under 
President  Jackson,  among  the  Indians,  and  his  style 
of  address  was  manly  and  practical.     His  name  has  a 

*  Author  of  the  excellent  and  popular  work  lately  published 
entitled  "The  Land  and  the  Book." 


fr 


162 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


sweet  savor  to  tins  day  in  tluit  conirreofation.  It  was 
in  the  early  part  of  May,  when  the  protracted  meet- 
ing was  held.  Fanners  were  unusually  busy  in  pre- 
paring to^plant.  But  the  plow  stood  still ;  and  men 
who  had  before  never  evinced  any  interest  in  per- 
sonal religion,  repaired  to  the  church,  and  attended 
to  the  breaking  up  of  the  fallow  ground  of  their  own 
hearts.  The  week  day  was  as  solemn  as  the  Sabbath. 
I  can  call  to  mind  several  different  texts  from  which 
Mr.  Schermerhorn  preached  with  great  power.  One 
was  in  Micah  6:  6,  7^  'Wherewith  shall  I  come  be- 
fore the  Lord,  and  bow  myself  before  the  high  God  ? 
shall  I  come  before  him  with  burnt  offerings,  with 
calves  of  a  year  old  ?  Will  the  Lord  be  pleased  with 
thousands  of  rams,  or  with  ten  thousands  of  rivers  of 
oil?  shall  I  give  mv  first-born  for  my  transgression, 
the  fruit  of  my  body  for  the  sin  of  my  soul  V  The 
parable  of  the  lost  sheep  was  the  theme  of  another 
pungent  discourse.  But  the  most  overpowering  ap- 
peal of  all  his  sermons,  and  probably  the  third  one 
he  preached  there,  was  from  the  words  of  Isaiah 
55:  1.  'Ho.  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to 
the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money ;  come  ye, 
buy  and  eat:  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk,  without 
money  and  without  price.'  This  sermon  brought  the 
people  to  their  knees  as  if  they  had  been  shot.  The 
impassioned  appeal  was  irresistible.     The  great  con- 


REV.    PETER    L4lBAGH,    D.D. 


163 


gregation  bowed  like  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  before 
the  storm.  Oh,  what  a  spectacle  !  a  crowded  house 
in  tears!  Strong  men  unmanned,  trembling  with 
fear!  Whole  families  awakening:  to  a  sense  of  eter- 
nal  things !  Parents  and  children  staring  at  each 
others'  mysterious  sobbings,  no  longer  able  to  con- 
ceal the  anguish  of  their  troubled  souls ! 

"Dr.  Labai^h  thus  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  a 
work  that  seemed  to  require  an  angel's  strength  and 
wisdom  to  conduct  it  to  a  happy  issue.  Trusting  in 
the  promises  of  his  Divine  Master,  he  buckled  on 
the  armor  and  went  forward  with  a  well  regulated 
zeal,  and  a  sound  mind.  He  visited  his  people 
from  house  to  house.  He  dealt  gently  and  judi- 
ciously with  such  as  were  convicted  of  sin.  He  en- 
couraged the  timid  believer.  He  instructed  those 
that  were  feeline:  their  wav  in  the  dark.  He  held 
prayer  meetings  in  private  houses,  and  in  school 
houses,  and  in  the  church.  His  labors  were  inces- 
sant. He  received  assistance  from  the  neighboring 
clergy,  who  preached  for  him  with  great  acceptance. 

"Refreshing  and  delightful  as  such  a  work  of 
arrace  must  be  to  the  soul  of  a  minister,  it  never- 
theless  imposes  upon  him  new  and  more  arduous 
duties.  His  hearers  are  no  longer  the  half-dead-and- 
alive  hearers  they  formerly  were.  They  are  now 
inquirers  for  the  truth,  searchers  of  the  Scriptures ; 


thev  are  looking  into  mysteries  wliicli  angels  desire 
to  look  into.  Their  faith  is  not  settled.  In  Cliristian 
experience  thev  are  but  babes.  Xow,  to  keep  their 
new  born  zeal  from  plnnging  them  into  error;  to 
settle  their  faith  on  the  sure  word  of  God ;  to  recon- 
cile in  their  minds  the  doctrine  of  faith  and  good 
works  and  other  fundamental  doctrines ;  to  see  that 
their  faces  are  set,  properly,  Zionward,  and  that  they 
run  well ;  demands  the  highest  order  of  ministerial 
labor  and  pastoral  vigilance,  for  years  after  con- 
version. 

"  In  all  this,  Dr.  Labagh  proved  himself  '  a  work- 
man  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed.'  I  have  men- 
tioned in  the  beginning  of  my  letter,  what  a  new 
aspect  this  Revival  gave  to  that  community.  The 
records  will  give  you  the  number  of  those  who  were 
then  added  to  the  Church,  but  the  fruits  of  that  revi- 
val were  seen  for  years  alter  that  time. 

As  Dr.  Labagh'e  long  and  useful  ministry  was 
identified  with  the  Church  at  Ilarlingen,  and  a 
minute  of  his  labors  occupies  so  large  a  portion  of 
the  records  of  that  Church,  I  may  add  that  his 
memory  should  be  cherished  by  that  congregation 
and  kept  perpetually  green.        *         ^         ^         ^ 

"  Yours  respectfully, 

a  z>    •        .  -.^  "  »^<^nX  F.  IlAGEMAli. 

'' Pniiceton,  May  9,  1859." 


1 1 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


165 


While  the  fruits  of  the  Revival  were  clearly  seen 
in  the  awakened  spirit  of  devotion,  and  the  increased 
activity  of  the  Church,  in  every  good  work,  they 
were  no  less  apparent  in  the  augmented  ranks  of  its 
membership.  Within  the  year,  one  hundred  and 
eight  persons  were  received  into  full  communion. 
At  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  in  August, 
1831,  sixty-four  members  were  added  on  confession 
of  their  faith.  Of  these,  fourteen  were  husbands 
and  wives,  who  came  together  to  cast  in  their  lot 
with  the  people  of  God,  and  three  others,  at  least, 
who  were  husbands  and  heads  of  families,  were  at 
the  next  communion  joined  by  tlieir  wives.  Among 
those  who  were  received  into  the  Church,  were  a 
number  of  young  men  whose  subsequent  lives  have 
given  abundant  testimony  to  the  genuineness  of  their 
conversion.  Some  of  them  have  frequently  rendered 
active  and  efficient  service  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  as 
elders  and  deacons  in  the  Consistories  of  Harlingen, 
and  the  other  Churches,  which  have  since  been  or- 
ganized at  Blawenburgh,  Griggstown,  and  Rocky 
Hill. 


II 


CHAPTEE   IX. 

N«w   Churches   formed   out  of  the   Harlingen  Congregation  — 
Church  OK  Blawenbuugh  —  Account  of  its  organization  —  Call 

AND    SETTLEMENT   OF     A     MINISTER  — Mb.     LaBAGh's    CHARGE   TO    THE 

Pastor  at  his  Installation  —  Church  of   Griggstown  —  Causes 

WHICH    LED    TO    ITS    ORGANIZATION Mr.    LaBAGH's     ADVANCING     AGE 

—  R£»{GNs  HIS  Pastoral  office  —  Joint  application  of  Minister 
AND  Consistory  to  Classis  —  The  application  granted  —  Re- 
solutions of  Classis  —  Call  of  a  successor  to  the  Church  of 
Harlingen  —  Mr.  Labagh's  Farewell  Sermon  to  the  Congre- 
gation—  Solemn  scenes  and  reflections. 

During  the  active  ministry  of  Mr.  Labagh,  two 
new  Churches,  composed  in  a  large  measure  of  mem- 
bers from  the  old  Harlingen  Church,  were  constituted 
respectively  on  the  south  western,  and  on  the  eastern 
borders  of  the  congregation.  The  first  of  these  was 
the  Church  at  Blawenburgh,  on  the  south  west.  The 
earliest  record  of  a  movement  for  the  formation  of 
this  Church  is  found  in  the  minutes  of  the  Harlino-en 
Consistory.  It  is  there  stated,  that  on  the  first  of 
October,  1820,  an  application  was  made  by  fifty-four 


\L 


I 


persons,  residing  in  the  district  of  Blawenburgli  and 
vicinity,  for  permission  to  erect  a  house  for  public 
worship,  to  be  denominated  the  Second  Heformed 
Dutch  Church  of  Ilarlingen.     A   subscription  was 
also  presented,  from  which  it  ap])eared  that  nearly 
three  thousand  dollars  had  already  been  pledged  for 
that   purpose.     The   Consistory,  having   considered 
the  matter,  unanimously  resolved  to  approve  the  ob- 
ject of  the  applicants,  and  expressed  their  willingness, 
when  requested,  to  take  such  action  as  would  have  a 
direct  tendency  to  accomplish  so  laudable  a  measure. 
The  work  was  accordingly  commenced,  and  prose- 
cuted with  considerable  vigor. 

In  the  spring  of  1831  the  edifice  was  completed, 
and  on  Saturday,  the  fourteenth  of  May,  the  Eev. 
Philip  MiUedollar,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Theology  at 
Xew   Brunswick,  by  invitation  of   the  Consistory, 
preached  an  appropriate  sermon,  and  solemnly  dedi- 
cated the  house  of  worship  to  the  service  of  Almighty 
God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.     The  Church  re- 
mained in  connection  with  Ilarlingen  until  March, 
1832.     On  the  second  of  that  month,  a  conmiittee, 
consisting  of  the  Ilev.  Mr.  Labagh,  and  the  elder, 
Abraham  Skillman,  attended  at  Blawenburgh,  where, 
after  earnest  supplication  to  the  throne  of  grace  for 
the  divine  presence   and   blessing,  a   separate   and 
distinct  Church  was  regularly  organized,  a  Consistory 


REV.    PETER    LAJ3AGH,    D.D. 


169 


chosen,  and  arrangements  made  for  their  ordination. 
Since  that  time  the  Church  has  been  known  as  the 
Keformed  Dutch  Church  of  Blawenburdi.  At  its 
organization  it  was  composed  of  about  eighty  mem- 
bers, received  on  certificate  from  the  old  Church  at 
Harlingen. 

The  people  of  Blawenburgh  soon  united  in  calling 
as  their  minister  the  Rev.  Henry  Ileermance.^  He 
accepted  the  call,  and  at  his  installation,  September 
15,  1832,  Mr.  Labagh  was  invited  to  deliver  the 
charge  to  tlie  pastor.  He  performed,  with  great  ac- 
ceptance, the  duty  assigned  him.  His  charge  to  the 
brother  who  had  just  assumed  the  spiritual  care  of 
those  wlio  liad  so  long  sat  under  his  own  ministry,  and 
had  found  it  the  channel  of  saving  mercy  to  their  souls, 
was  full  of  wisdom  and  full  of  kindness.  It  was  a 
model  of  blended  simplicity  and  force,  of  faithfulness 
and  love.  It  was  fortunately  found  among  his  papers, 
after  his  death,  and  is  here  presented  to  the  reader : 

*  It  was  at  first  int  ended  to  establish  a  collegiate  relation  be- 
tween the  old  Church  at  Harlingen  and  its  offshoot  at  Blawenburgh, 
and  to  call  another  minister  as  the  colleague  of  Mr.  Labagh.  It  is 
stated  in  the  Ilarlingen  records  that  the  Consistories  of  the  two 
Churches  met  at  Harlingen,  August  15,  1831,  and  "unanimously 
resolved  that  the  congregations  should  remain  united,  and  that 
another  minister  be  called  as  soon  as  possible,  and  that,  when  called 
and  settled,  he  should  exchange  services  with  Mr.  Labagh  every 
third  Sabbath."     This  resolution  was  never  carried  into  effect. 

8 


"Keterend  and  deak  Brother:  You  are  now,  by 
the  act  of  the  Classis  of  Philadelphia,  constituted 
pastor  of  this  Church  and  congregation.  The  rela- 
tion which  has  now  been  approved  and  sanctioned, 
by  the  ecclesiastical  judicatory  under  which  we 
stand,  is  one  solemn,  interesting,  and  highly  respon- 
sible. Much  of  your  comfort  and  happiness,  as  well 
as  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  your  charge  nuiy 
be  involved  in  this  connection.  You  are  their  teach- 
er, to  instruct  them  in  the  all-important  truths  of  the 
Gospel.  You  are  their  pastor,  to  feed  them  with  know- 
ledge, and  to  lead  them  to  the  only  source  of  true 
consolation  and  peace.  You  are  their  watchman,  to 
sound  the  alarm  to  sinners,  to  warn  of  impending  dan- 
ger, and  to  point  out  to  saints  their  various  enemies. 
Yon  are  their  leader,  to  go  before  them  in  every  Chris- 
tian duty  and  virtue.  And,  with  all  your  official 
titles,  you  must  not  forget  that  you  are  their  servant, 
to  labor  for  them,  and  to  minister  unto  them,  in  holy 
things.  For  the  faithful  performance  of  all  these 
duties,  you  are  accountable  to  your  Consistory  and 
to  the  higher  authorities  of  the  Church,  and  you  must 
render  a  linal  account  to  Him  who  is  vour  Master 
and  your  Judge.  These  considerations,  connected 
with  your  official  duties,  are  calculated  to  produce  a 
deep  feeling  of  heart,  and  a  humbling  sense  of  one's 
own  insufficiency.     Were  you  to  rely  for  success,  in 


rev.  peter  labagh,  d.d. 


in 


this  your  office,  altogether  upon  your  own  resources, 
we  should  pity  you,  but  much  more  would  we  pity 
your  people.  We  trust  you  feel  your  dependence 
upon  the  Spirit  of  your  Master  for  every  needful 
qualification  to  ensure  success. 

"In  performing  the  service  assigned  me  for  this 
occasion,  I  shall  address  vou  in  some  remarks  on  the 
duties  relating  to  yourself,  to  your  peoj)le,  and  to  the 
Church  at  lar^e. 

"  When  instructing  Timothy  in  the  various  duties 
of  the  ministerial  office,  Paul  forgets  not  to  charge 
him,  Take  heed  to  thyself.  T^  drink  deep  into  the 
spirit  of  our  divine  Master,  and  to  cherish  and  mani 
fest  the  graces  of  His  holy  religion,  are  all-important 
to  make  your  ministrations  pleasant  to  yourself,  and 
profitable  to  your  people.  The  good  shepherd  goeth 
before  the  sheep,  and  they  follow  him.  In  every 
Christian  duty,  and  in  every  Christian  virtue,  the 
Christian  minister  is  bound  to  set  the  example.  The 
people  expect  it  of  him,  and  have  a  right  s(^  to  expect. 
And  more  than  this,  where  tlie  Christian  minister  is 
habitually  deficient  in  a  Clnistian  example,  the  peo- 
ple have  a  right  to  suspect  his  sincerity.  You  will 
need  to  have  a  constant  watch  over  your  own  heart, 
and  to  have  your  spirit  as  much  as  possible  in  sub- 
jection to  the  law  of  Christ.  For  if  a  man,  says  the 
Apostle,  know  not  how  to  rule  his  own  house,  and 


consequently  his  own  heart,  how  shall  he  take  care 
of  the  Cliurch  of  God?  There  is  little  prospect  of 
snccess  in  the  labors  of  that  minister,  who  indeed 
preaches  the  Gospel,  but  is  ignorant  of  its  power. 

"  Mv  dear  brother,  in  the  various  and  often  difficult 
duties  of  your  office,  you  will  frequently  find  oc- 
casion for  all  your  personal  religion,  and  will  sigh  for 
more.  In  contending  against  internal  and  external 
foes,  you  will  have  need  of  the  whole  armor  of  God, 
that  you  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of 
the  devil.  Stand,  therefore,  having  your  loins  girt 
about  with  truth,  and  having  on  the  breast-plate  of 
righteousness,  and  your  feet  shod  with  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  Gospel  of  peace.  Above  all,  taking  the 
shield  of  faith,  wherewith  you  sliall  be  able  to  quench 
all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked.  And  take  the  hel- 
met of  salvation  and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which 
is  tlie  word  of  God.  xVll  these  parts  of  the  Christian 
panoply  you  will  need  for  the  faithtul  and  successful 
discharfje  of  vour  dutv,  but  while  vou  are  cultivating 
the  spirit  and  the  graces  of  piety,  oh  !  forget  not  the 
throne  of  grace.  Be  emphatically  a  man  of  prayer. 
Let  your  closet  bear  witness  to  your  sighs,  aiul  tears, 
and  wrestlinfi^s  with  God.  Prayer  makes  the  Chris- 
tian's  armor  bright,  while  it  animates  him  in  the  con- 
flict, and  encourages  with  the  hope  of  success.  With- 
out constant  intercourse  with  heaven  your  heart  will 


i» 


EEV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


173 


not  be  in  your  work,  and  your  whole  service  will  sink 
into  a  dull,  monotonous  round. 

"  Your  next  duty  relates  to  your  flock.  The  apostle 
Peter  charges  every  gospel  minister :  Feed  the  flock 
of  Christ,  which  is  among  you.  This  duty  consists 
in  preaching,  catechising  youth,  administering  ordi- 
nances, exercising  discipline,  and  family  visitation. 

"  In  your  preaching  be  careful  to  maintain  sound 
doctrine.  The  Lord  has  commanded  that  the  priest's 
lips  should  keep  knowledge,  and  that  they  should 
seek  the  law  at  His  mouth.  And  an  apostle  declares 
that  the  inspired  Yolume  is  profitable  for  doctrine. 
Our  pious  and  learned  forefathers,  sensible  of  the  im- 
portance of  doctrinal  preaching  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  Church,  have  incorporated  in  their  standards  an 
excellent  summary  of  doctrinal  truths,  and  made  it 
indispensable  that  all  the  ministry  explain  a  portion 
of  these  on  stated  occasions.  With  this  injunction 
we  trust  you  will  conscientiously  comply.  Kest  as- 
sured when  doctrinal  preaching  becomes  unfashion- 
able in  tlie  Church,  her  purity  and  her  prosperity  will 
not  long  continue.  Practical  preaching  is  not  less 
important.  All  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  in- 
volve corresponding  duties.  These  are  to  be  faith- 
fully presented,  and  pressed  upon  the  consciences  of 
your  hearers.  In  short,  preach  the  Gospel,  preach 
the  law,  comfort  the  saint,  alarm  the  sinner,  direct 


lu 


MEMOIR  OF  THE 


the  inquiring  soul,  arouse  the  careless  sleeper,  pour 
the  oil  and  the  wine  into  the  wounded  spirit,  and 
pierce  with  the  arrows  of  conviction  the  bold  offender. 
Speak  in  gentle  accents  words  of  peace  to  the  con- 
trite soul,  but  come  in  all  the  thunders  of  Sinai  to  the 
hardened  sinner.  And  whether  you  instruct  or  ex- 
hort, whether  you  approve  or  censure,  whether  you 
comfort  or  alarm,  endeavor  to  convince  all  that  you 
are  their  friend,  and  ardently  seek  to  promote  their 
best  and  eternal  interests. 

"Another  portion  of  your  charge  claims  your 
special  regard,  the  lambs  of  the  flock,  the  children 
of  the  Church.  The  relation  they  sustain  to  the 
Church  entitles  them  to  her  parental  care  and  solici- 
tude. If  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  could  take 
them  in  His  arms  and  bless  them,  how  can  the 
Church  liei*self  disown  and  reject  them  ?  Be  it  your 
business  and  delight,  my  brother,  early  to  attempt  to 
imbue  their  minds  with  Christian  principles,  and  to 
train  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord.  Give  them  your  paternal  affection  and  care, 
furnish  them  with  suitable  instruction,  and  often  carry 
them  in  your  heart  to  a  throne  of  grace.  Of  so  great 
importance  does  the  Church  consider  catechetical  in- 
struction to  the  youth,  that,  by  her  constitution,  a 
minister  is  liable  to  suspension  from  office  who  wil- 
fully and  habitually  neglects  it. 


4 


''The  administration  of  ordinances,  and  the  exer- 
cise of  church  discipline  are  nearly  connected.    Both 
require  prudence,  discretion,  tenderness  and  faithful- 
ness.    Were  we  more  cautious  in  admitting  into  the 
Church,  we  should  have  less  trouble  in  excluding 
from     ir.       But    when     carnal     policy    enters    the 
Church,  and  controls  principle,  we  are  laying  the 
foundation  for  future  difficulties.     It  would  be  well 
for  us  all  to  remember,  that  the  prosperity  and  piety 
of  a  Church  are  not  to  be  measured  or  calculated  by 
the   number   of   communicants    alone,    but   by    the 
character,  the  lives  and  the  godly  conversation  of  its 
members.    To  you  and  your  consistory  are  committed 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom.     Use  them  tenderly,  yet 
faithfully.     Admjt  to  your  communion  and  fellow- 
ship such  only  as  give  evidence  of  a  Christian  spirit. 
Bear  patiently  with  the  weak.     Be  never  hasty  in 
the  exercise  of  discipline.     Let  your  moderation  ap- 
pear unto  all  men.     But  when  the  interests  of  truth 
and  piety  require  it,  never  be  afraid  to  do  your  duty. 
''In  your  pastoral  visits  you  have  an  opportunity  to 
become  more  intimately  acquainted  with  the  state  of 
your  flock.     You  will  know  better  what  subjects  to 
select  in  your  preaching,  and  liow  to  treat  them.     A 
word  in  season  here  is  often  spoken,  and  the  mind  of 
a  Christian  friend  relieved  of  a  burden.     Difficulties 
are  met  and  solved,  and  growing  animosities  some- 


d 


times  hai>pily  reconciled.  In  jxTforniing  this  delicate 
duty  your  faithfulness,  your  prudence  and  your  wis- 
dom, may  often  be  put  to  trial.  It  is  a  wise  regula- 
tion that  associates  an  elder  with  the  minister  on 
such  occasions.  In  all  your  intercourse  with  your 
people,  endeavor  to  manifest  a  truly  Christian  spirit. 
Be  affiible,  and  kind,  and  gentle.  Be  accessible  to 
all,  both  rich  and  poor.  Convince  them  by  satisfac- 
tory evidence  that  you  are  entirely  above  a  mercenary 
spirit.  Let  them  see  that  in  accepting  this  charge 
you  seek  not  theirs,  but  them,  and  that  in  all  things 
you  desire  to  promote  their  interest  and  welfare. 
Tliis  conduct  will  gain  their  full  confidence,  and  en- 
able you  to  exercise  a  salutary  influence  over  them. 
Look  upon  this  flock  as  yours,  and.  probably  for  life. 
Endeavor  to  feel  as  if  with  this  peoj^le  you  are  to  live 
and  die.  This  we  conceive  to  be  a  duty,  and  such 
feelings  have  a  beneficial  tendency.  They  will  in- 
crease your  attachment,  and  you  will  take  a  deeper 
interest  in  all  their  concerns.  Whereas  to  cherish 
an  unsettled  mind,  and  to  indulire  the  feelin<r  that 
your  residence  here  will  probably  be  short,  that  you 
will  soon  cliange  your  location,  and  be  called  to  labor 
in  some  other  part  of  the  vineyard,  will  have  a  strong 
tendency  to  dampen  your  zeal,  i-estrain  your  eflforts 
in  their  service,  and  diminish  vour  interest  in  their 
welfare. 


I 


"In  discharging  your  duties  to  the  Churcli  at 
large,  permit  me  earnestly  to  recommend  a  punctual 
attendance  upon  the  judicatories  of  the  Church.  Let 
no  slight  excuse  prevent  you.  Look  upon  it  as  a 
solemn  duty  to  be  always  at  the  post  of  your  ap- 
pointment. There  are  too  many  ministers  who  take 
but  little  interest  in  the  sreneral  concerns  of  the 
Church.  They  appear  to  feel  as  if  all  their  duties 
and  all  their  efforts  were  to  be  confined  to  the  people 
of  their  charge.  If  all  were  so,  what  would  be  the 
consequence  ?  Tlie  elder  brethren  will  soon  be  re- 
moved from  their  places.  The  youngei'will  be  called 
to  occupy  them.  IIow  necessary,  then,  that  they 
should  qualify  themselves  for  diities  which  may  soon 
be  assiiz;ned  them !  Be  alwavs  readv,  with  vour 
counsel  and  assistance,  to  accomplish  the  objects 
which  the  Church  contemplates.  Give  your  heart 
and  hand  particularly  to  the  benevolent  operations 
of  the  dav,  and  seek,  bv  vour  charitv  and  Christian  en- 
terprise,  to  excite  a  similar  spirit  among  your  people. 

"Finallv,  cultivate  and  manifest  fraternal  affec- 
tion  and  confidence  toward  vour  bretliren  in  the 
ministrv.  We  ofier  you  the  hand  of  brotherhood. 
AVe  welcome^vou  into  our  ecclesiastical  community. 
We  tender  to  you  our  confidence  and  love,  and  will 
cheerfully  cooperate  with  you  in  all  things  that  relate 
to  the  good  of  our  beloved  Zion. 
8^ 


178 


MEMOIR    OF    THE 


'•  May  the  connection  now  confirmed  prove  a  bless- 
ing to  jou  and  to  your  flock !  May  yon  long  be  a 
successful  laborer  in  this  vineyard  !  May  yon  gather 
much  fruit!  And  may  your  iinal  reward  be  a  crown 
of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away !" 

Tlie  other  Church  organized  during  the  ministry 
of  Mr.  Labagli,  was  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of 
Griggstown.  The  village  of  Griggstown,  in  which 
the  church  edillce  stands,  is  situated  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Millstone  river,  with  Harllngen  about 
four  miles  to  the  west,  and  at  a  distance  of  six  miles, 
respectively,  from  the  villages  of  Millstone  on  the 
north,  of  Six-Mile-Run  on  the  east,  and  of  Kingston 
on  the  south.  The  country  adjacent  is  productive 
and  thickly  settled  by  a  community  of  intelligent 
and  thrifty  farmers.  For  several  years  prior  to  the 
organization,  the  ])eople  of  the  district  had  felt  the 
necessity  of  having  a  Church  established  at  some 
more  convenient  point.  And  as  the  village  of  Griggs- 
town formed  the  center  of  a  circle  about  ten  miles  in 
diameter,  within  which  there  was  no  house  exclu- 
sively devoted  to  the  purposes  of  public  worship,  it 
was  designated  by  its  geographical  position  as  a  desi- 
rable location  for  a  new  church.  It  was  indeed  cus- 
tomary for  the  pastors  of  the  neighboring  Churches 
to  lecture  occasionally,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  Sab- 


^ 


" 


I 


J 


KEV.    PETER    LABAGH,    D.D. 


179 


bath,  in  the  school  house  on  the  western  bank  of  the 
river,  and  at  intervals,  during  the  week,  to  assemble 
the  children  there  for  the  purpose  of  catechetical  and 
biblical  iustructiou.  A  weekly  prayer  meeting  had 
also  been  maintained  there  b}^  the  people,  without 
interruption,  for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

But  while *tliese  services  were  highly  appreciated, 
they  did  not  meet  and  satisfy  the  public  want.  The 
desire  of  the  community  at  length  ri])ened  into  effort, 
and  on  June  21,  1842,  a  Church  was  constituted  by 
the  Classis  of  New  Brunswick,  and  mc^asures  were 
adopted  by  the  congregation  for  the  erection  of  a  . 
house  of  worship.  Among  the  members  received 
into  the  new  organization  there  were  some  from  all 
the  neighboring  Cliurches,  but  the  old  Church  at 
Ilarlingen  contributed  a  larger  proportion  than  any 
of  the  others.  About  twenty  persons  were  received 
on  certificate  from  that  Church. 

The  membership  of  the  Ciiurch  at  Griggstown 
was  originally  small,  being  only  thirty-eight  in  num- 
ber at  the  organization,  but  it  has  passed  the  period 
of  its  infancy,  and  has  attained  to  a  vigorous  and 
active  youth.  It  now  reports  more  than  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  communicants. 

In  1844,  about  two  years  after  the  organization  of 
the  Church  at  Griggstown,  Mr.  Labagh  came  to  the 
conclusion,  after  serious  reflection  and  prayer,  and  in 


view  of  the  increasiiicr  infirmities  of  a^re,  to  resiirn  Ins 
pastoral  charge.  Already  he  liad  nearly  completed 
the  forty -eighth  year  of  his  ministry,  and  the  thirty- 
fifth  of  his  connection  witli  the  llarlinixeii  Cliurch. 
The  toils  of  a  life  protracted  beyond  three-score  years 
and  ten,  and  the  inexorable  hand  of  time,  had  left  their 
impression  npon  In's  physical  frame  and  vigor.  And  he 
began  to  agitate  the  in<jiiiry  in  liis  own  mind,  whether 
the  period  had  not  arrived  when  it  would  be  best  for 
him  to  resign  the  cares  and  res[)onsibilities  of  his 
office.  Not  that  he  shruidv  from  the  self-denial  and 
labor,  which,  in  the  very  nature  of  tlie  case,  were 
inseparable  from  his  position,  as  tliey  are  from  the 
position  of  every  conscientious  pastor ;  for  no  one 
was  ever  more  willing  to  stand  in  the  lot  in  which 
Providence  had  placed  him,  whatever  that  lot  miirht 
be,  and  there  to  fill  up,  humbly  and  laithfully  as  lie 
might,  his  appointed  measure  of  service.  But  he 
thought  he  perceived  in  his  diminished,  and  still  di- 
minishing energy  of  body  and  power  of  endurance,  and 
especially  in  the  partial  failure  of  his  voice,  an  inti- 
mation of  the  will  of  God,  wdiicli  made  the  path  of 
duty  plain  and  straight  before  him. 

The  old  soldier  of  the  Cross  had  followed  liis  Cap- 
tain through  years  of  conflict  and  struggle.  He  had 
contended  with  courage  and  patience  for  the  honor 
of  His  cross  and  crown,  and  for  the  advancement  of 


Jj 


that  glorious  "kingdom  which  cannot  be  moved." 
From  many  a  well-fought  field  he  had  borne  away 
the  trophies  of  victoiy,  and  laid  them  at  his  Master's 
feet.  And  now,  covered  with  the  dust  of  the  march 
and  the  battle,  and  gray  with  half  a  century  of  ser- 
vice, the  Master  gave  him  permission  to  retire  from 
the  field,  till  He  should  call  him  up  to  occupy  a 
throne,  and  wear  a  crown  of  glory,  in  the  heavens. 

Acting  under  a  sense  of  duty,  Mr.  Labagh  called 
his  Consistory  together,  and  laid  his  resolution  before 
them.  To  his  request  that  they  would  unite  with 
him  in  soliciting  from  the  Classis  a  dissolution  of  the 
pastoral  relation,  they  gave  their  consent.  A  meet- 
ing for  the  purpose  of  taking  formal  action  was  ac- 
cordingly appointed.  In  compliance  with  the  rule 
of  the  constitution,  a  neighboring  minister,  the  Kev. 
James  E.  Talmage,  then  pastor  of  the  Church  at 
Blawenburgh,  was  invited  to  be  present  and  to  pre- 
side. The  meeting  took  place  on  the  thii-d  of  April, 
1844.  After  the  members  had  united  in  prayer,  Mr. 
Labagh  formally  renewed  his  request,  and  gave,  as 
his  reasons  for  so  doing,  "his  advanced  age  and 
growing  infirjnities,  especially  the  failure  of  his 
voice."  The  following  resolutions  were  then  unani- 
mously adopted : 

'' Besolved.  That  the  Consistorv  consent,  for  the 
above  reasons,  to  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  rela- 


182 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


I 


tion,  and  do  unite  with  the  pastor  in  application  to 
the  Classis  for  the  same. 

'''Resolved.  That  the  Consistory  feel  bound  to  re- 
cord their  testimony  to  the  faith fuhiess  with  which 
their  pastor  has  for  tliese  manv  years,  discharged  the 
duties  of  his  office,  and  their  earnest  ])ra3^er  to  God 
that  lie  may  enjoy  abundantly  in  liis  own  soul  the 
cons(dations  of  that  Gospel  wliich  lie  lias  preached 
to  us,  and  that  liis  latter  end  mjiy  be  peace.'- 

The  resolutions  were  signed  by  the  President,  the 
Eev.  Mr.  Talmage,  ami  entered  upon  the  minutes  of 
the  Consistory. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Classis  of  Philadephia, 
which  took  place  on  the  ensuing  week,  the  joint  ap- 
plication was  presented.  The  action  of  tlie  Classis 
was  deferred,  however,  until  its  next  meeting,  which 
was  held  at  Trenton,  Xew  Jersey,  May  14,  1844-, 
when  the  following  resolutions  were  adopted: 

''  Eesolved,  That  in  compliance  with  the  joint  re- 
quest of  the  Eev.  Peter  Labagh  and  the  Consistory  of 
the  Eeformcd  Dutch  Church  of  Ilarlingen,  for  a  dis- 
solution of  the  pastoral  relation  wliich  so  long,  and 
by  the  blessing  of  God,  so  i:rofitahly  has  subsisted 
between  them,  the  same  be  and  hereby  is  dissolved. 

"  Resolved,  Tliat  while  Classis  accede  to  this  re- 
quest, they  respectfully  recommend  that  the  Church 


I 


' 


in  Harlingen  still  remember  affectionately  him  who 
has  so  long  and  so  faithfully  labored  among  them  in 
the  holy  ministry,  that  they  still  do  what  they  can 
to  promote  the  peace  and  happiness  of  this  venerable 
and  behaved  father  in  his  declining  years,  and  that 
such  a  relation  may  be  established  between  them  as 
will  show  their  respect  and  affection  for  their  beloved 
minister,  and  set  a  proper  example  to  other  Churches 
in  similar  circumstances." 

During  the  summer,  while  the  pulpit  was  vacant, 
Mr.  Labagh  continued,  as  before,  to  feel  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  Church  and  congregation,  and  cheerfully 
undertook  any  service  which  the  exigencies  of  their 
situation  might  require.  After  hearing  a  number  of 
clergymen,  who  had  been  invited  to  preach  by  the 
Consistory,  the  congregation  assembled,  pursuant  to 
notice,  on  the  twenty -first  of  August,  and  cordially 
united  in  calling  as  their  pastor,  the  Eev.  John 
Gardner,  who  had  then  but  recently  completed  his 
course  of  study  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  !N'ew 
Brunswick.  Mr.  Gardner  accepted  their  call,  and, 
on  Tliursday,  November  14,  1844,  was  ordained  to 
the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  and  installed  pastor 
of  the  Church,  an  office  which  he  still  continues  to 
fill. 

Mr.  Labagh,  though  no  longer  sustaining  an  official 


184 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


relation  to  the  Church,  exercised,  during  the  interval 
between  the  call  and  the  installation  of  his  successor, 
what  might  be  described  as  a  pastoral  supervision. 
On  the  Sabbath  preceding  the  installation  of  the 
pastor  elect,  he  addressed  the  congregation  in  a  ser- 
mon of  deep  solemnity,  and  bade  them  an  aftectionate 
farewell. 

He  took  for  his  text,  the  passage  in  the  Revelation 
of  John,  22:  21,  ^'Tlie  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  be  with  you  all.  Amen."  Tliev  are  the  clos- 
ing  words  of  the  sacred  canon,  and  they  suggested  a 
fitting  theme  for  the  discourse  with  which  the  vener- 
able servant  of  Christ  completed  his  pastoral  career. 
A  career  which,  in  its  spirit  of  simplicity  and  love, 
bore  no  slight  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Apostle, 
by  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  spake  to  the  Church  from 
Patmos. 

After  endeavoring  to  unfold  the  full  import  of  "the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,''  exhibiting  its  in- 
finite  value  to  a  race  of  condemned  and  dying  sin- 
ners, and  illustrating  the  scope  and  compass  of  the 
Apostle's  benediction,  as  extending  to  "  all,"  he  con- 
cluded with  a  concise  liistory  of  the  Church,  and  a 
few  parting  words  of  interest  and  affection.  He 
spoke  very  nearly  as  follows  : 

"  The  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  Harlingen  was  or- 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


185 


ganized  in  1727,^  and  was  supplied  occasionally  by 
ministers  from  Long  Island  and  JS'ew  York.  From  the 
former  the  inhabitants  composing  the  congregation  had 
generally  removed.  Thefirstchurch  edifice  waserected 
in  a  corner  of  the  grave-yard  on  the  parsonage  farm, 
nearly  two  miles  north  of  the  building  in  which  we 
are  now  assembled.  The  present  house  of  worship 
was  erected  in  1804.  The  Church  was  without  a 
stated  ministry  until  1750,  when  the  Rev.  Johannes 
Frelinghuysen  w^as  called  to  labor  here  every  fifth 
Sabbath.  He  supplied  the  whole  county,  and  also 
the  Church  of  Readington,  now  in  the  adjoining 
county  of  Hunterdon.  He  was  a  burning  and  a 
shining  light.  His  ministry  was  brief,  but  very  suc- 
cessful. Many  were  added  to  the  Church,  and  the 
fruits  of  his  labors  were  long  visible.     He  died  in 


*  While  this  statement  is  entirely  correct,  it  is  proper  to  add,  that 
BO  early  as  June,  1710,  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  had,  by  deed,  been  set  apart  "  for  the  benefit  and  behoof  of 
the  Minister  and  Consistory  of  a  Church  to  be  gathered  there,  upon 
the  basis  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Dort 
in  1618  and  1619."  It  was  not  till  May  18,  1727,  however,  that  the 
Church  was  organized  by  Dominie  Henricus  Coens,  "  a  minister  from 
Aquecknonk,  <fcc.,  after  calling  upon  the  name  of  the  blessed  Je- 
hovah." The  persons  chosen  as  oflficers  of  the  Church,  "  Op  De 
Millston,"  as  it  was  styled  in  the  Dutch  records,  were  Abraham  Rey- 
ters  and  Gerbrant  Peterse,  for  Elders;  and  Johannes  Koelbag  and 
Resolvert  Waldron,  for  Deacons. 


186 


MEMOIR   OB"   THE 


175-i,  and  from  that  time  the  Church  had  onlj^  oc- 
casional supplies,  until  about  the  year  1762,  when 
tlie  Rev.  Johannes  Martenus  Van  Ilarlincren,  a  native 
of  Millstone,  having  received  his  theological  education 
in  one  of  the  universities  of  Holland,  and  his  license 
from  the  Chassis  of  Amsterdam,  returned  to  his  native 
country,  and  was  called  and  settled  here.  He  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  fiiitliful  and  devoted  man,  but 
he  was  able  to  officiate  only  in  the  Dutch  language, 
the  effect  of  which  was  felt  to  be  unfavorable  to  the 
Church.  Tiiose  who  preferred  instruction  in  the  Eng- 
lish language  resorted  to  other  Churches.  This  was 
the  case  especially  with  the  younger  portion  of  the 
congregation. 

"A  remedy  against  the  evil  was  provided  when 
the  Rev.  William  R.Smith  was  called,  in  1704,  from 
the  Presbvterian  Church  at  Wilmino^ton,  Delaware, 
to  officiate  as  co-pastor.  He  preached  here  every 
third  Sabbath,  the  two  others  being  devoted  to  Shan- 
nock,  which  had  some  time  previously  formed  a  col- 
legiate connection  with  this  Church  on  condition  of 
having  one  third  of  the  services  of  Mr.  Van  llarlin- 
gen.  In  1795,  Mr.  Van  llarlingen  died,  after  having 
labored  in  the  Church  as  its  pastor  for  thirty-three 
years. 

"His  successor  was  the  Rev.  Henry  Polhemus, 
who  was  installed  as  pastor  of  this  Church,  in  con- 


• 


REV.  PETER  LABAGH,  D.D. 


187 


nection  with  that  of  Shannock,  in  1798.  After  a  labo- 
rious and  successful  ministry  of  ten  vears,  he  asked 
and  received  his  dismission  in  1808.  In  July,  1809, 
the  labors  of  the  preacher  (the  Rev.  Peter  Labagh) 
commenced  in  this  Church,  in  connection  with  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Smith  of  Shannock.  At  the  time  of  his 
settlement,  the  Church  consisted  of  about  sixty  mem- 
bers, and  the  congregation  embraced  the  whole  of 
what  is  now  the  congregation  of  Blawenburgh.  Of 
these  sixty,  only  seven  remain.  The  rest  have  all 
gone  to  their  account. 

^'In  1820,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Smith  departed  this  life. 
He  had  been  disabled,  by  a  paralytic  affection,  from 
discharging  his  ministerial  duties  for  several  years 
previous  to  his  death.  He  had  labored  in  this  vine- 
yard of  the  Lord  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  through 
many  infirmities  of  body,  and  with  a  shattered  con- 
stitution, yet  not  without  success. 

"After  his  death,  the  congregations  dissolved  their 
connection,  and  the  services  of  the  preacher  (Mr.  La- 
bagh) were  confined  to  this  people.  Under  his  min- 
istrations the  Cliurch  experienced  several  revivals  of 
religion.  In  1810,  not  long  after  his  settlement, 
nearly  twenty  were  added  to  the  Church  at  one  com- 
munion, at  that  time  an  unusual  number;  and  in 
1817,  as  many  more.  But  in  1831,  in  common  with 
may  other  Churches  in  this  region,  there  was  here  a 


188 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


powerful  and  extensive  revival,  which  resulted  in  the 
addition  of  one  hundred  and  eiijht  members  within 
one  year.  In  1832,  about  eighty  members  were  dis- 
missed, to  constitute  the  Church  at  Blawenburrrh, 
and  in  1842,  about  twenty  to  tlie  Church  organized 
at  Griggstown. 

"To  the  precious  revival  enjoyed  in  1831,  has  suc- 
ceeded a  long  season  of  coldness  and  formality.  The 
Church  may  well  mourn,  and  she  ought  fervently  to 

*  Return,  0  holy  Dove,  return. 

Sweet  messenger  of  rest ; 
I  hate  the  sins  that  made  Thee  mourn, 
And  drove  Thee  from  my  breast.' 

It  is  proper  that  she  should  be  reminded  that  she  is 
about  to  enter  into  a  new  ecclesiastical  relation,  and 
that  her  youthful  pastor  will  need  all  her  coimsel, 
her  prayers,  and  her  active  cooperation. 

"  And  now,  my  Christian  friends,  and  beloved," 
continued  the  venerable  patriarch,  "  I  stand  before 
you  to-day,  for  the  last  time  as  your  pastor.  In  this 
relation  you  will  see  my  lace  and  hear  my  voice  no 
more.  The  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the  office 
will  rest  upon  another,  and  he  the  man  of  your 
choice.  This  is  my  birth-day.  I  now  enter  upon 
my  seventy-second  year.  For  more  than  thirty-five 
years,  I  have  ministered  to  this  Church  and  cono-re- 


gation  ;  a  longer  term  than   any   of  my   predeces- 
sors. 

"  In  reviewing  my  ministerial  life,  I  am  very  con- 
scious that  I  have  nothing  to  boast  of.  I  have  often 
shuddered  in  view  of  the  responsibilities  under  which 
I  have  stood.  If  to  any  of  you,  my  labors  have  been 
blessed ;  if  I  have  been  instrumental  in  your  salva- 
tion, give  the  glory  and  the  praise  to  God.  Of  one 
thing  I  am  confident,  that  it  has  been  my  wish  and 
endeavor  to  minister  to  your  spiritual  and  eternal 
interests.  And  although  I  feel  that  I  have  labored 
among  you  in  much  weakness  and  imperfection,  yet 
I  rejoice  to  know  that  I  have  not  labored  in  vain. 
God  has  given  me  a  measure  of  success  that  has  often 
filled  me  with  gratitude  and  joy.  During  the  term 
of  my  ministry,  more  than  five  hundred  persons  have 
been  added  to  tlie  church  membership,  and  I  know 
of  no  country  Church  which  has  furnished  to  the 
cause  of  Christ  so  large  a  number  of  ministers, 
amounting  at  least  to  ei^-ht. 

"  For  some  yeai-s  past  I  have  felt  a  deeper  interest 
in  the  young  people  of  my  charge,  and  have  been 
anxious  to  train  them  up  in  doctrinal  and  biblical 
knowledge.  It  has  been  among  my  sweetest  plea- 
sures to  see  so  many  of  the  youth  seeking  to  excel 
in  tliese  attainmems,  punctual  in  attendance,  and 
well  prepared  with  their  recitations.     Their  proo-ress. 


:"  ■SSsi^k'^^SsfHifV^' 


190 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


flattering  to  their  pastor,  was  more  honorable,  and 
we  hope  will  prove  beneficial  to  themselves.  I  can- 
not omit  to  mention  that  at  our  last  sacramental  oc- 
casion, the  eleven  who  were  received  upon  confession 
of  their  faith,  were  all  young,  and  of  those  who  had 
been  trained  in  the  bible  class. 

"Feeling  sensibly  the  growing  infirmities  of  age, 
the  failure  of  physical  powers,  but  especially  the 
failure  of  mv  voice,  I  cheerfullv  united  with  the 
Consistorv  in  askinor  a  dissolution  of  the  connection 
60  long  and  so  hnp]>ily  subsisting  between  us.  But 
although  this  is  now  eftectuated,  I  expect  to  remain 
in  the  place,  to  worship  here,  and  here  to  mingle  my 
dust  with  the  dust  of  those  with  whom  I  have  long 
been  associated. 

"And  now,  dear  brethren,  I  commend  you  to  God, 
and  to  the  word  of  His  grace.  While  I  live,  I  shall 
feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  your  Church, 
and  shall  not  cease  to  pray,  Peace  be  within  her 
walls,  and  })rosperity  within  her  palaces. 

"The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Chrisr  be  with  you 
all.  Amen." 

The  occasion  was  one  of  solemn  recollections,  and 
deep  feeling.  On  that  day  the  aged  minister  com- 
pleted his  seventy-first  year.  He  had  reached,  and 
over-past,  the  ntniost  general  limit  of  human  life. 


The  circle  of  his  earthly  existence  and  lahors  was 
drawing  to  a  close.     In  the  pnlpit  where  he  had 
stood  in  the  ardor  of  y„ulh,  and  in  the  strength  of 
manhood,  he  now  stood  in  the  feebleness  of  age. 
More  tlian  seventy  winters  had  whitened  the  lodss 
npon  his  brow,  the  vig„r  had  departed  from  his  arm, 
and  the  steady  brightness  from  his  eye,  but  in  his 
breast  there  was  something  which  neither  time  nor 
infirmity   could    touch.     There  was   a  heart   there 
which   glowed  as  warmly  with  love  to  Christ,  and 
love  to  human  kind,  as  on  the  day  of  its  first  espou- 
sals.    "  AVhile  the  outward  man  perished,  the  inward 
man  was  renewed  day  by  day." 

There,  too,  were   the  Church  and   congregation. 
The  same,  and  yet  not  the  same.    There  was  the  old 
liouse   of  worship,   bearing  its   old   historic   name. 
There  were  the  venerable  trees  at  its  entrance,  under 
whose  shadow  children  and  children's  children  had 
passed,  as  they  entered  into  its  sacred  inclosure.    The 
same  sun  looked  down  from  heaven,  and  the  same 
mountain  side  and  plain  hiy  reposing  on  the  right 
hand  and  the  left,  in  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  Sab- 
bath.   But  within  the  scene  was  changed.    The  pews 
were  indeed  filled,  but  not  by  those  who,  with  open 
arms  of  welcome,  had  first  received  him.     One  by 
one,  like  the  sands  of  the  hour-glass,  they  had  passed 
away,  and  another  generation  had  lisen  up  to  take 


their  places.  Of  all  those  who  had  gathered  around 
the  sacraiiiental  board,  when  he  first  gave  to  them 
the  emblems  of  a  Saviour's  broken  body  and  shed 
blood,  oidv  seven  now  remained,  and  they  looked 
forward  from  that  scene  of  parting  with  the  expec- 
tation of  a  speedy  reunion  in  heaven. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  a  person  who  was  present  de- 
scribed the  day  as  "  a  dayV  sorrowing  to  many,  but 
especially  to  the  aged.     They  remembered  how  con- 
stantlv  the  venerated  servant  of  God  had  been  asso- 
ciated  in  all  their  solemn  joys  and  duties,     lie  had 
welcomed  them  into  the  Church.     He  had  baptized 
their  children.     He  had   married    them,  and   their 
children  after  them.     He  had  buried  their  parents, 
their  children  and  their  neighbors.     And  he  had  un- 
ceasinMv  uro-ed  them  to  activitv  aiul  progress  in  the 
divine  life.    And  now,  they  sorrowed  that,  in  all  these 
relations,  thev  should  behold  his  face  no  more." 

A  blessed  privilege  it  is  for  a  minister  of  Christ, 
when  sinking  beneath  the  burden  of  toil  and  years, 
to  close  his  career  amid  scenes  and  under  circum- 
stances like  these  !  To  carry  from  the  pulpit  and  the 
sanctuarv  the  love  and  benedictions  of  a  grateful 
people,  showered  upon  him  by  the  mingled  voices  of 
lisping  childhood  and  tottering  age !  Truly  did  the 
^vise  man  say:  ''The  hoary  head  is  a  crown  of  glory, 
if  it  be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness!" 


CHAPTEE  X. 

Mr.  Labagh  takrs  up  his  Residence  with  his  Son-in-Law  and 
Daughter  —  Employments  and  Diversions  —  Punctuality  at 
Church — PraYkr  Meetings  and  Sabbath  Schools — Receives  the 
Degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity — Ministerial  Labors — Collects 
Funds  for  Rutgers  College  in  1845 — Ecclesiastical  Meetings — 
Officiates  at  an  Ordination — Attends  Divine  "Worship  at 
Griggstown — Regard  for  him — Anecdote — An  Interesting 
Day — Dr.  Cannon — Difficulty  in  finding  his  Text — Pleasant 
Relations  between  Drs.  Labagh  and  Cannon  —  Decline  and 
Death  of  Dr.  Cannon — Dr.  Labagh  at  his  Funeral — I^^ote: 
Some  Account  of  Dr.  Cannon's  Life — Dr.  Labagh  anticipates 
his  Departure — Family  Worship — Sickness  and  Death — His 
Funeral — Note  :  Subsequent  Removal  of  his  Remains  to  Rocky 
Hill — Reflections. 


Shortly  after  his  demission  of  the  pastoral  office, 

Mr.  Labagh,  together  with  his  aged  companion,  took 

up  his  residence  with  his  son-in-law  and  daughter, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  Yan  Derveer,  at  Brookside, 

the  old  homestead  of  the  Yan  Derveer  family,  about 

equi-distant  from  the  neighboring  villages  of  Harlin- 

gen,  Griggstown  and  Kocky  Hill.     In  this  quiet  and 
9 


194 


MEMOIK   OF  THE 


beautiful  retreat,  cherished  by  affectiouate  children, 
and  revered  by  the  whole  community,  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days.     Fond  of  books,  and  scarcely 
less  fond  of  that  employment  so  strongly  recom- 
mended by  good  old  Izaak  Walton,  he  would  often 
be  found,  during  the  pleasant  hours  of  summer,  seated 
in  the  shade  of  the  majestic  trees  that  surround  the 
mansion,  and  perusing  a  volume  of  history  or  travels, 
of  theology  or  polite  literature,  or  upon  the  bank  of 
the  stream  hard-by,  holding  the  line  and  waiting  to 
draw  from  the  liquid  element  below  the  reward  of 
his  skill  and  patience. 

The  Sabbath  always  found  him  in  his  place  at  the 
house  of  God.  The  bell  was  scarcely  more  regular 
in  its  call  to  worship,  than  was  the  good  old  man  in 
his  compliance  with  the  summons.  To  those  who 
knew  him,  his  presence  in  the  sanctuary  was  a  ser- 
mon, and  to  all  who  beheld  him  there,  his  conduct 
was  an  example.  He  always  bowed,  in  prayer,  Avith 
the  reverence  of  a  child,  and  whoever  the  preacher 
might  be,  he  gave  him  his  undivided  attention.  His 
fondness  for  music  amounted  ahnost  to  a  passion, 
and  when  the  hymn  had  been  announced,  and  the 
congregation  began  to  sing,  for  the  congregation  did 
sing,  he  joined  in,  and  sang  heartily  "with  the  spirit, 
and  with  the  understanding  also." 

The  evening  prayer  meetings  he  was  seldom  able 


'     L 


to  attend,  in  consequence  of  the  infirmities  of  age. 
But  at  those  which  were  sometimes  held  on  Sabbath 
afternoons,  in  a  private  dwelling,  or  in  what  was 
called  the  Bedensville  school  house,  about  half  a 
mile  from  his  residence,  when  it  was  the  turn  for  the 
minister  to  lecture  in  some  other  district  of  the  con- 
gregation, he  was  always  present,  if  circumstances 
would  permit. 

In  the  Sabbath  school  and  the  catechetical  class 
he  took  great  delight.  Affable  and  Uprightly,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  reverent  and  thoroughly  informed 
in  biblical  and  theological  knowledge,  he  felt  him- 
self, on  such  occasions,  peculiarly  at  home ;  and  the 
young  people  were  no  less  delighted  to  see  him.  He 
had  a  faculty  of  investing  these  exercises  with  inter- 
est, and  of  imparting  religious  truth  and  impressions 
by  means  of  them,  which  few  men  have  more  lar^elv 
possessed.  As  a  teacher  of  scriptural  doctrine  he 
greatly  excelled. 

At  the  annual  commencement,  in  September,  18i6, 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Marshall  College,  at  Mer- 
cersburg,  Pennsylvania,  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity;  and  if  that 
title  be  held  to  designate  a  Teacher  of  Theology,  it 
has  seldom  been  more  worthily  conferred.  For  such 
he  truly  was. 

Dr.  Labagh,  while  enjoying  his  exemption  from 


pastoral  care,  was  not  idle.     For  a  short  time,  in 
1845,  lie  employed  himself  in  collecting  funds  for 
Kutgers   College.     He  visited,  for  that  purpose,  a 
number  of  Churches  in  New  Jersey,  and  also  a  few 
of  those  in  :N'ew  York,  which  were  most  convenient 
of  access  from  the  Hudson  river.     With  this  excep- 
tion, he  very  seldom,  if  ever,  in  his  later  years,  nn- 
dertook  any  labor  which  required  him  to  travel  far, 
or  to  be  absent  long  from  his  family.     Within  the 
sphere  to  which  the  efforts  of  his  old  age  were  neces- 
sarily confined,  he  loved  to  be  engaged  in  doing  what 
he  could  for  the  prosperity  of  the  Church.     He  was 
always  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  every  good 
cause.     At  Eocky  Hill,  which  was  situated  on  the 
borders  of  four  different  congregations,  and  where  no 
Church  had  as  yet  been  organized,  there  was  a  union 
chapel,  in  which  the  neighboring  pastors  were  accus- 
tomed, on  Sabbath  afternoons,  to  lecture  in  turn; 
and  Dr.  Labagh  took  his  turn  with  them.     He  occa- 
sionally preached  also  in  the  Churches  located  in  the 
vicinity,  sometimes  when  the  pulpits  were  vacant, 
and  sometimes  to  relieve  a  ministerial  brother,  whom 
the  pressure  of  labors  during  tlie  week,  had  reduced 
to  a  condition  of  distress  in  view  of  the  Sabbath. 

He  took  great  pleasure  in  attending  the  various 
ecclesiastical  meetings,  and  others  of  a  religious  na. 
ture.     At  the   annual   gatherings   of  the   Somerset 


L 


EEV.    PETER   LABAGH,   D.D. 


197 


County  Bible  Society,  whether  near  or  distant,  he 
was,  if  his  health  and  circumstances  allowed,  inva- 
riably present,  and  also  at  the  semi-annual  meetings 
of  Classis.  The  part  he  performed  on  one  such  occa- 
sion, at  least,  the  writer  of  these  pages  has  every  rea- 
son to  remember. 

Tliat  occasion  was  the  meeting  of  the  Classis  of 
New  Brunswick,  in  the  Eeformed  Dutch  Church  of 
Griggstown,  on  Tuesday,  September  26,  1848,  to  or- 
dain a  young  man  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and 
to  install  him  as  pastor  of  that  Church.  The  sermon 
was  preached  by  the  Eev.  Talbot  W.  Chambers,  D.D., 
then  pastor  of  the  Second  Eeformed  Dutch  Church 
of  Earitan,  New  Jersey,  but  now  junior  pastor  of  the 
Collegiate  Dutch  Church  in  New  York  city,  from 
Galatians  4:  19,  "My  little  children,  of  whom  I  tra- 
vail in  birth  again  until  Christ  be  formed  in  you." 
Though  a  member  of  the  Classis  of  Philadelphia,  Dr. 
Labagh  was  invited  by  the  Classis  of  New  Bruns- 
wick to  preside  at  the  exercises,  to  read  the  form  of 
ordination,  and  to  offer  the  ordaining  prayer.  The 
writer  was  the  person  to  be  ordained.  And  while 
memory  lasts,  he  will  never  forget  that  solemn  moment, 
when,  kneeling  in  the  vacant  space  before  the  pulpit, 
Dr.  Labagh  laid  his  hand  upon  his  head,  accompa- 
nied in  the  act  by  the  clergymen  present,  fourteen  in 
number,  and,  amid  the  breathless  stillness  of  the  as- 


/ 


198 


MEMOIR   OF  TIIE 


sembly,  slowly  but  fervently  pronounced  the  impres- 
sive words : 

"  God,  our  heavenly  Father,  who  hath  called  thee 
to  this  holy  ministry,  enlighten  thee  with  his 
Holy  Spirit,  strengthen  thee  with  his  hand,  and  so 
govern  thee  in  thy  ministry  that  thou  mayest  decently 
and  fruitfully  walk  therein,  to  the  glory  of  his  name 
and  the  propagation  of  the  kingdom  of  his  Son, 
Jesus  Christ.     Amen." 

The  Eev.  Abraham  Messier,  D.D.,  of  the  First 
Church  of  Earitan,  delivered  the  charge  to  the  pas- 
tor, and  the  Eev.  Samuel  A.  Yan  Yranken,  D.D., 
Professor  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Xew  Bruns- 
wick, delivered  the  charge  to  the  people. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises  the  writer  stood 
by  the  side  of  Dr.  Labagh,  and  for  the  first  time,  as 
the  bishop  of  a  church,  and  a  scripturally  commis- 
sioned minister  of  Christ,  pronounced  the  apostolic 
benediction.  Were  he  to  forget  such  a  scene,  and 
such  associations,  his  memory  would  be  treacherous 
indeed. 

In  the  year  1851,  Dr.  Labagh,  while  cherishing,  as 
he  had  ever  done,  the  most  cordial  sentiments  of  re- 
gard for  both  the  people  and  pastor  of  his  late  charge 
at  Ilarlington,  was  induced,  by  the  double  consider- 
ation of  convenience  and  duty,  to  become  a  regular 


X    r' 


REV.    PETER  LAJBAGH,   D.D. 


199 


attendant  of  the  Church  at  Griggstown.  In  this 
action  he  was  joined  by  his  son-in-law  and  family, 
with  whom  he  lived.  Many  of  the  people  at  Griggs- 
town had  formerly  been  his  parishioners.  Almost 
all  the  Elders  and  Deacons  of  the  Church  there,  had 
been  brought  up  under  his  ministry,  and  trained  for 
usefulness  by  him  in  the  catechetical  class  and  the 
Bible  recitation.  When  he  came  among  them,  there- 
fore, he  was  no  stranger  to  them,  nor  they  to  him. 
He  seemed  more  like  a  father  among  his  children,  for 
he  loved  them  heartily,  and  they  returned  his  affection 
in  measure  by  no  means  small. 

An  incident  which  occurred  within  the  writer's 
knowledjT^e  will  illustrate  the  warmth  of  their  rec^ard. 
Dr.  Labagh  had  occasionally  attended  divine  service 
at  the  Church  of  Griggstown,  before  he  made  it  his 
ecclesiastical  home.  On  one  occasion,  when  Dr. 
Cannon,  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Xew  Bruns- 
wick, came  up  to  make  a  visit  at  Griggstown,  and 
supply  the  pulpit  on  tlie  Sabbath,  Dr.  Labagh  was 
notified  of  his  coming,  and  invited  to  meet  his  old 
friend  and  fellow-student,  and  hear  him  preach.  As 
most  of  the  congregation  had  formerly  sat  under  the 
ministry  either  of  Dr.  Cannon,  at  Six-Mile-Eun,  or 
of  Dr.  Labagh,  at  Harlingen,  they  were  both  well 
known,  and  were  held  in  about  equal  estimation.  On 
Sabbath  morning  they  proceeded  to  the  Church,  and 


the  people  had  no  sooner  caught  sight  of  them,  as 
they  entered  the  vestibule,  than  one  of  the  Elders,  a 
very  intelligent  and  worthy  man,  unable  to  restrain 
his  emotions,  burst  forth  ^vitll  the  exclamation,  ad- 
dressed to  his  neighbor:  "Peter!  Peter!  Tliere 
are  Dr.  Labagh  and  Dr.  Cannon  !  Tell  the  Dominie, 
quick !  to  get  them  both  into  the  pulpit  together !" 

His  desire  was  gratified.  The  "Dominie"  did 
"get  them  both  into  the  pulpit  together,"  and  it  was 
a  great  delight  to  the  people  to  see  them  tliere. 

Dr.  Labagh  opened  the  services,  and,  in  the  prayer 
before  the  sermon,  remembered  his  venerable  friend 
in  petitions  of  touching  fervor  and  aHection.  lie 
rendered  thanks  for  "the  long  life  of  usefulness 
which  God  had  been  pleased  to  grant  him,"  and 
prayed  that  he  might  "  '  still  bring  forth  fruit  in  old 
age,'  and  experience  the  promise :  '  This  God  is  our 
God  forever  and  ever;  he  will  be  our  guide  even  unto 
death.' "  In  like  manner,  Dr.  Cannon,  in  the  con- 
cluding prayer,  rendered  thanks  "  for  the  distinguish- 
ing mercy  shown  to  that  Christian  brother  who  in- 
troduced the  exercises  of  the  morning,"  and  entreated 
that  God  would  "  give  him  special  enlargement  in 
spiritual  aifection  and  in  prayer,  and  great  comfort  in 
the  love  of  Ms  Saviour."  When  they  stood  up  to- 
gether, at  the  close  of  the  service,  surrounded,  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  beheld  them,  with  a  thousand 


r- 


KEV.   PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


201 


sacred  memories  of  the  past,  they  seemed  the  very 
illustration  of  the  poet's  ideal  preacher ;  for  of  each 
of  them  could  it  be  truly  said : 

•*  He  bore  his  great  commission  in  his  look, 
But  sweetly  tempered  awe,  and  softened  all  he  spoke. 
He  preached  the  joys  of  heaven,  and  pains  of  hell. 
And  warned  the  sinner  with  becoming  zeal, 
But  on  eternal  mercy  loved  to  dwell." 

An  incident  occurred  on  this  occasion  which  served 
to  impress  the  text  of  Dr.  Cannon's  sermon,  and  the 
chapter  and  verse  of  the  book  in  which  it  was  found, 
very  distinctly  upon  the  minds  of  the  people.    It  was 
the  Doctor's  habit  to  write  his  sermons,  and  commit 
them  to  memory.     He  possessed  that  faculty  in  ex- 
traordinary power  and  tenacity,  and  having  accus- 
tomed himself  to  use  it  from  early  life,  he  always 
preferred  to  preach  without  notes.     For  once,  how- 
ever, his  memory  failed  him.    lie  designed  to  preach 
from  John  6  :  37,  "  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in 
no  wise  cast  out."     After  he  had  entered  the  pulpit, 
he  took  the  Bible  from  the  desk,  and  opening  at  the 
Gospel  acccording  to  John,  he  began  to  search  for 
the  chapter  and  verse.     He  turned  over  the  leaves 
very  deliberately,  first  in  one  direction,  and  then  in 
the  other.     He  paused  a  moment,  with  three  or  four 
leaves  standing  upright,  between  the  opposite  halves 
of  the  book,  and  then  turned  them  over  again,  for- 
9^ 


202 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


ward  and  backward,  now  this  way,  and  now  that, 
but  apparently  without  success.  The  congi-egation 
were  singing  the  last  stanza  of  the  hymn,  and  still 
the  good  old  Doctor  could  not  find  the  chapter  and 
vei^e.  He  finally  gave  it  up  in  despair,  and  having 
restored  the  Bible  to  the  desk,  he  took  his  place,  and 
began  his  sermon  by  announcing,  with  that  clear 
articulation,  and  measured  emphasis,  for  which  he 
was  remarkable,  "  You  will  find  my  text  in  the  Gos- 
pel according  to  John,  '  Him  that  cometli  to  me  I 
will  in  no  wise  cast  out.' "  The  omission  of  chapter 
and  verse  was  scarcely  observed.  But  the  people, 
on  their  way  home,  began  to  inquire  of  each  other, 
where  the  Doctor  took  his  text.  Xo  one  seemed  to 
recollect,  and  every  one  apologized  tor  his  forget- 
f Illness  by  saying  that  his  memory  was  very  poor. 
Many  and  grievous  were  the  sins  of  omission  which 
the  people  charged  that  day  upon  the  unfortunate 
facultv  of  memory.  Some  one  finallv  asserted  that 
the  chapter  and  verse  had  not  been  mentioned  ;  and 
it  came  to  be  a  question  for  debate,  whether  they 
had,  or  had  not.  The  secret  at  length  came  out, 
however,  through  the  Dominie ;  and  the  result  was, 
that  the  people  acquitted  memory  of  a  great  many 
false  accusations,  and  the  chapter  and  verse  of  the 
text  were  indelibly  impressed  upon  their  minds. 

The   opportunities  for  social  and  Christian  inter- 


T- 


\ 


KEV.   PETER   LABAGH,   D.D. 


203 


V 


course,  which  these  two  venerable  servants  of  Christ 
had  so  long  enjoyed,  were  destined  soon  to  come  to 
an  end.  Associated  in  their  early  studies  for  the 
ministry,  their  friendship  had  continued  without  in- 
terruption for  more  than  sixty  years.  And  called  in 
the  providence  of  God  to  the  pastoral  care  of  neigh- 
boring congregations,  they  had  labored  side  by  side, 
in  the  same  blessed  cause  for  seventeen  years  to- 
gether, until  Dr.  Cannon,  in  1S26,  laid  down  his 
ofiice  as  a  pastor,  to  assume  that  of  Professor  of 
Pastoral  Theology  and  Ecclesiastical  History  and 
Government  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  New 
Brunswick.  Even  then,  their  respective  places  of 
residence  being  only  about  fourteen  miles  distant 
from  each  other,  they  often  met  in  mutual  visits,  and 
often  took  counsel  together  for  the  prosperity  of  the 
Church  and  the  Seminary,  in  which  they  both  felt  so 
deep  an  interest.  While  the  one  labored  to  establish 
new  congregations,  and  to  bring  forward  young  men 
to  augment  the  ranks  of  the  ministry,  the  other  de- 
voted his  days  to  training  them  in  literary  and  theo- 
logical studies,  and  preparing  them  for  the  duties  of 
the  sacred  office.  Each  one,  in  his  appointed  sphere, 
endeavored  as  God  gave  him  opportunity,  to  extend 
and  to  edify  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

But  their  work  was  accomplished,  and  their  record 
was  on  high.     The  Master  was  about  to  call  them  to 


204 


^lEMOIR    OF    THE 


their  reward.  In  the  year  1851,  Dr.  Cannon  began 
to  show  signs  of  taihire.  His  physical  strength  was 
evidently  giving  way,  and  his  power  of  utterance 
became  affected.  The  work  of  prostration  went 
gradually  on,  until  on  the  Ttli  of  June,  1852,  he  felt 
it  his  duty  to  address  to  the  General  Synod,  then  in 
annual  session  at  Willianisburgh,  Long  Island,  the 
following  letter : . 

"  Eev.  Fathers  and  Brethren  in  Christ  :  It  has 
pleased  God,  as  you  doubtless  have  heard,  to  arrest 
me  in  my  course  of  theological  instruction,  and  to 
afflict  me  sorely  with  a  disease  which  thus  far  has 
baffled  the  prescribed  remedies,  and  left  me  unable 
to  speak  words  either  articulately  or  fluently.  I  am 
no  longer  able  either  to  lecture  to  a  class  or  preach 
to  a  congregation,  in  consequence  of  the  sad  and 
painful  affection  in  my  throat. 

"In  such  circumstances,  while  I  bow  submissively 
to  the  will  of  my  heavenly  Father,  I  put  myself  into 
the  hands  of  the  General  Synod  to  dispose  of  me  as 
they  think  proper,  and  to  make  suitable  provision  for 
the  wants  of  the  institution  in  my  special  department 
of  study.  Tlie  Synod  will  consider  the  above  senti- 
ment as  containing  a  full  resignation  of  my  office,  or 
as  standing  aside  to  receive  help,  until  my  bodily 
malady  shall  be  either  removed  or  more  fully  devel- 


.-  l 


i 


/ 


\ 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


205 


oped.  I  doubt  much  whether  my  state  of  health  will 
80  improve  as  to  permit  me  to  engage  in  active  ser- 
vice. Sincerely  do  I  thank  my  reverend  brethren 
and  elders  for  all  the  kindnesses  shown  me,  and  pray 
that  they  may  be  guided  by  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and 
love. 

"  I  remain,  with  sentiments  of  profound  respect, 
reverend  fathers  and  brethren,  your  brother  in  Christ, 
and  your  obedient  servant, 

"James  S.  Cannon." 

The  communication  was  received  with  unfeigned 
sorrow,  and  the  Synod,  after  expressing  its  high 
sense  of  the  important  services  which  Dr.  Cannon 
had  rendered  to  the  Seminary  and  the  Church, 

''''Resolved  tmanhnously^  That  Dr.  Cannon  be  con- 
tinued in  his  present  office,  and  declared  to  be  Pro- 
fessor Emeritus  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  and 
that  the  whole  amount  of  the  salary  now  annexed  to 
it  be  paid  to  him  as  heretofore." 

But  the  good  old  man  had  no  need  of  the  provision 
which  the  Church,  under  the  impulse  of  love  and 
gratitude,  so  promptly  and  so  tenderly  made.  There 
w^as  a  mansion  of  rest  and  a  crown  of  glory  awaiting 
him  in  the  skies.  And  the  chariot  of  the  King  of 
kings  was  even  then  ready  and  waiting  to  bear  him 


away  from  the  scene  of  his  mortal  toils.  On  the  holy 
Sabbath,  July  25,  1852,  he  looked  for  the  last  time 
upon  the  light  of  earth.  To  two  of  his  ministerial 
brethren  who  stood  at  his  bedside,  he  said,  referring 
doubtless  to  his  inward  conflicts:  "Tell  my  friends 
I  have  had  my  trials,  but  I  have  kept  the  faith." 

He  never  spoke  again.  Having  uttered  these 
words,  and  folded  his  arms  upon  his  breast,  he  closed 
his  eyes,  and  his  spirit  passed  into  the  glory  of 
heaven. 

His  funeral  took  place  on  the  following  Tuesday, 
July  27,  when  a  sermon  suitable  to  the  occasion  was 
preached  in  tlie  First  Eeformed  Dutcli  Church  of 
Xew  Brunswick,  by  the  Eev.  Jolin  Gosman,  D.D., 
of  Hudson,  Xew  York.  The  day  was  that  on  which 
the  literary  societies  of  Rutgers  College  usually  held 
their  anniversary,  and  the  city  was  full  of  clergymen 
and  visitors,  who  had  come  up  from  all  parts  of  the 
Church  to  attend  the  annual  commencement.  The 
spacious  house  of  worship  was  filled  by  the  sorrow- 
ing assembly.  After  the  religious  services  were  over, 
his  body  was  "  carried  by  devout  men  to  its  burial," 
and  laid  down  to  its  rest  by  the  side  of  those  of  his 
predecessors  in  ofHce.  In  the  long  procession  which 
followed  his  remains  to  the  tomb,  walked  his  old 
friend  and  fellow-laborer.  Dr.  Labagh.  It  was  a  day 
of  mourning  to  the  Church.    For  "Samuel  was  dead, 


and   all   Israel   lamented  him,  and  buried   him   in 
Kamah,  even  in  his  own  city." 

Dr.  Cannon  was  in  age  a  little  more  than  two  years 
the  junior  of  Dr.  Labagh,  the  former  having  been 
born  January  28,  177G,  and  the  latter  J^ovember  10, 
1773.  Dr.  Cannon  died  July  25, 1852,  aged  seventy- 
six  years,  five  months,  and  twenty -seven  daj-s,  leav- 
ing his  beloved  and  venerable  brother  in  the  ministry 
to  follow  him  into  the  world  of  rest,  after  an  interval 
of  precisely  six  years  and  three  months,  to  a  day."^ 

*The  Rev.  James  Spencer  Cannon,  D.D.,  S.T.P.,  was  born  in  the 
island  of  Cura9oa,  in  the  Caribbean  sea,  off  the  coast  of  Venezuela, 
January  28,  1776.  His  parents  were  of  Irish  origin.  His  father 
was  a  sea  captain,  whose  residence  was  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
but  who,  on  his  voyages,  was  often  accompanied  by  his  wife.  It 
was  during  a  brief  delay  at  Cura9oa,  while  in  the  prosecution  of 
his  business,  that  his  son,  James  Spencer,  was  born.  On  a  similar 
voyage,  at  a  later  day,  his  wife  died  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and 
her  remains  were  interred  in  the  Friends'  burying  ground  in  that 
city.  When  he  was  about  ten  years  of  age,  James  Spencer,  together, 
with  his  two  older  brothers,  Joseph  and  AVilliam,  was  taken  by  his 
father  to  Hackensack,  New  Jersey,  to  be  educated  under  the  care  of 
Peter  Wilson,  LL.D.  Somewhere  about  the  year  1789  or  1790, 
while  he  was  yet  at  school,  his  father  lost  his  life  at  sea.  The  vessel, 
in  which  Captain  Cannon  was  sailing  only  as  passenger,  was  com- 
manded by  Philip  Freneau,  well  known  as  one  of  the  earliest 
American  poets,  and  was  bound  for  the  port  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  On  the  voyage  out  she  encountered  a  terrible  storm.  Mr. 
Freneau  had  at  that  time  but  little,  if  any,  practical  skill  as  a  sailor. 


In  tlie  death  of  those  with  whom  he  had  com- 
menced his  career,  and  had  so  king  cooperated  for  the 
promotion  of  a  common  cansc,  Dr.  Labagh  beheld 

though  he  afterwards  became  so  well  qualified  that  he  took  charge 
of  a  merchant  ship,  and  made  several  voyages  to  Madeira,  the  "West 
Indies,  and  other  quarters  of  the  world.  During  the  storm  he  re- 
quested Capt.  Cannon  to  take  the  command.  The  latter  complied 
with  the  request,  but  while  endeavoring  to  manage  the  vessel,  some 
part  of  the  cordage  gave  way,  and  the  boom  sweeping  suddenly 
round  to  the  opposite  side,  struck  him  and  hurled  him  headlong  from 
the  deck  into  the  sea.  He  was  never  heard  of  more.  The  orphan 
children,  however,  were  not  left  without  friends.  Henry  Brevoort, 
Esq.,  of  Hackensack,  became  the  patron  of  James  Spencer,  and 
educated  him  at  his  own  expense.  Mr.  Brevoort's  daughter  subse- 
quently became  Mrs.  Cannon. 

After  the  removal  of  Dr.  "Wilson  to  assume  the  Professorship 
of  Ancient  Languages  in  Columbia  College,  young  Mr.  Cannon 
pursued  his  studies  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Miller.  He  was  a  diligent  student,  and  drew  to  himself  the  regard 
of  his  teacher.  In  declamation  he  excelled,  and  while  under  the 
instruction  of  Mr.  Miller,  he  more  than  once  received  a  premium  for 
his  superior  speaking. 

In  1794,  Mr.  Cannon  united  with  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of 
Hackensack,  of  which  the  Rev.  Solomon  Froeligh,  D.D.,  was  then 
pastor.  He  studied  theology  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Froeligh, 
and  Dr.  John  H.  Livingston,  and  in  1T96,  he  and  his  fellow-student, 
Mr.  Labagh,  were  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  Classis  of 
Hackensack,  after  a  thorough  and  satisfactory  examination,  con- 
tinued through  two  whole  days.  In  the  same  year  he  was  settled 
as  pastor  of  the  united  Reformed  Dutch  Churches  of  Six-Mile-Run 
and  Millstone,  in  Somerset  county.  New  Jersey.     In  180*7  the  coUe- 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


209 


the  premonition  of  his  own  departure.  Ah*eady  the 
infirmities  of  age  had  admonished  him  to  retire  from 
the  active  duties  of  the  ministry,  and  to  set  his  house 
in  order  preparatory  to  that  final  event  which  awaits 
all  the  living.  And  now,  as  he  followed  to  the  grave 
one  of  the  few  remaining  survivors  of  his  early  years, 
and  saw  that  the  last  links  of  friendship,  which  bound 
the  present  to  the  past,  were  dissolving  at  the  touch 
of  death,  he  felt  that  his  days  were  numbered,  and 
that  the  appointed  hour  was  moving  swiftly  on  to 
meet  him.  But  he  knew  where  he  had  anchored  his 
trust,  and  he   looked  forward  to  his  approaching 

giate  relation  of  the  two  Churches-was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Cannon 
thenceforth  devoted  his  pastoral  labors  exclusively  to  the  Church 
of  Six-Mile-Run.  In  the  year  1819  the  trustees  of  Union  College, 
Schenectady,  New  York,  conferred  on  him  the  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity.  In  1826  he  was  called  to  a  Professorship  in 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  New  Brunswick,  which  office  he  still 
held  at  the  time  of  his  death,  July  25,  1852.  The  only  published 
productions  of  Dr.  Cannon  known  to  the  writer,  are,  "  An  Address 
on  the  Emancipation  of  Holland,  delivered  in  the  Dutch  church,  in 
the  city  of  New  Brunswick,  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  February, 
1814,"  in  which  he  is  very  emphatic  in  his  condemnation  of  the 
despotic  and  selfish  spirit  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte;  an  "Address  to 
the  President  elect  of  Rutgers  College,"  the  Hon.  Tlieodore  Fre- 
linghuysen,  LL.D.,  on  the  occasion  of  his  inauguration  into  office 
July  24,  1850;  and  his  "Lectures  on  Pastoral  Theology,"  a  large 
octavo  volume  of  six  hundred  and  seventeen  pages,  published  about  a 
year  after  his  death.    It  is  a  noble  monument  of  piety  and  learning. 


210 


MEMOIR  OF  THE 


change  without  fear  or  anxiety.  And  why  should  he 
not  ?  His  was  the  glorious  promise  which,  "  though 
the  earth  be  removed,  and  though  the  mountains  be 
carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea,"  could  never  fail  of 
its  fulfilhnent:  "All  things  are  yours;  whether  Paid, 
or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  the  world,  or  life,  or  death, 
or  things  present,  or  things  to  come ;  all  are  yours ; 
and  ye  are  Christ's ;  and  Christ  is  God's."  In  faith 
and  patience,  therefore,  he  waited  for  the  voice  from 
heaven  to  say  to  him  :  "  Come  up  hither." 

After  that  scene  in  IS'ew  Brunswick,  at  the  grave 
of  his  life-long  friend,  his  few  remaining  years  rolled 
on  peacefully  but  rapidly  to  their  termination.  The 
time  of  his  departure  at  length  drew  near.  During 
the  summer  and  autumn  of  1858,  it  became  evident 
that  "  the  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  was  about 
to  be  dissolved,"  and  that  the  spirit  which  had  so 
long  held  there  its  habitation  was  preparing  to  de- 
part, and  to  enter  into  that  "  building  of  God,  that 
house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 
He  experienced  more  difficulty  in  walking.  There 
was  an  increased  dimness  of  vision.  His  physical 
powers  generally  seemed  to  be  giving  way.  Still 
there  was  no  appearance  of  any  particular  disease. 
Failing,  as  he  obviously  was,  he  yet  continued  to  take 
a  part  in  the  household  devotions,  with  much  feeling 
and  alwavs  to  edification.     On  the  eveninor  of  the 


fifteenth  of  October,  lie  engaged  as  usual  in  worship 
with  the  family.  He  conducted  the  exercises  with 
his  ordinary  tone  of  voice  and  clearness  of  intellect, 
though  his  prayer,  probably,  somewhat  exceeded  its 
accustomed  length.  At  the  close  of  the  worship, 
finding  himself,  for  the  first  time,  unable  to  rise  from 
his  knees,  he  requested  assistance,  and,  on  taking  his 
seat,  complained  of  being  dizzy.  He  was  aided  in 
retiring  to  bed,  and  remarked  the  next  morning  that 
he  had  passed  a  restless  night . 

As  he  had  frequently  been  troubled  with  dizziness, 
he  did  not  consider  his  case  at  all  serious,  and  thought 
he  would  be  out  again  before  noon.  He  slept,  how- 
ever, most  of  the  morning,  and  having  at  length 
arisen,  he  soon  found  himself  obliged  to  return  to 

m 

bed.  It  proved  to  be  his  dying  bed.  He  soon  sank 
into  a  comatose  condition,  and  after  lino^erino;  until 
the  morning  of  October  twenty-fifth,  about  ten  days 
after  his  first  attack,  during  which  he  received  every 
attention  which  medical  skill  and  filial  affection  could 
render,  his  S23irit  was  gently  released  from  the  body, 
and  entered  into  that  "  rest  which  remaineth  for  the 
people  of  God." 

Thus  died  Peter  Labagh,  on  Monday,  October 
25th,  1858,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-four  years, 
eleven  montlis,  and  fifteen  days,  receiving  the  fulfill- 
ment of  the  promise :  "  Thou  shalt  come  to  thy  grave 


212 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


in  a  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometli  in  in 
his  season." 

He  left  no  dying  testimony.  Nor  was  it  needful. 
The  great  question  in  regard  to  the  departed  is  not, 
How  did  they  die  f  But  it  is.  How  did  they  live  ? 
To  that  question  he  left  behind  him  an  abundant  an- 
swer. All  who  knew  him,  knew  full  well  "  that  in 
simplicity  and  godly  sincerity,  not  with  fleshly  wis- 
dom, but  by  the  grace  of  God,  he  had  had  his  con- 
versation in  the  world."  Better  far  than  any  words 
that  can  be  uttered  with  the  expiring  breath,  is  the 
inheritance  of  consolation  which  the  dying  saint  be- 
queaths to  his  weeping  friends,  in  the  memory  of  his 
humble  piety,  and  of  his  conscientious  labors  for  the 
salvation  of  men  and  for  the  glory  of  his  Redeemer. 
By  the  converts  who  were  gathered  into  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  through  his  honored  instrumentality;  by 
the  Churches  which  he  contributed  so  largely  to  estab- 
lish and  foster ;  by  the  Elders  and  Deacons  whom  he 
trained  for  active  usefulness;  bv  the  men  who  are 
now  proclaiming  from  the  heights  of  Zion  "  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ,"  and  whom  he  led  with 
his  own  hand  into  the  ranks  of  the  gospel  ministry ; 
by  the  benevolent  societies  which  he  did  so  much  to 
organize  and  perpetuate;  and  by  the-  school  of  the 
prophets,  which  he  always  loved,  and  the  professor- 
ships of  which  he  labored  so  faitlifully  to  endow,  our 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,  D.D. 


213 


venerated  father,  "  being  dead,  yet  speaketh."  These 
are  his  dying  testimony.  More  than  these  who  could 
ask? 

It  is  true  that  when  he  sank  into  the  heavy  slum- 
ber, from  which,  as  it  proved  in  the  end,  he  never 
awaked,  his  children  prayed  that  his  powers  of 
thought  and  expression  might  be  once  more  restored, 
that  the  veil  miglit  be  lifted,  if  it  were  only  for  a 
moment,  from  his  mind,  so  that  he  could  again  testify 
his  confidence  in  Christ,  and  give  them  his  parting 
benediction.  But  it  was  not  the  will  of  God.  He 
who  "  doeth  all  things  well,"  saw  that  it  was  not 
needful  for  His  glory,  or  for  the  comfort  of  those  who 
survived.  It  is  quite  certain  that  the  last  moments 
of  full  consciousness  which  the  aged  saint  enjoyed  on 
earth,  were  in  the  act  of  family  worship.  And  we 
may  say,  therefore,  truly,  that  when  the  message 
came  to  him  from  heaven,  it  found  him  literally  on 
his  knees. 

The  funeral  took  place  on  the  following  Wednes- 
day, October  27th.  It  was  a  bright  and  beautiful 
day,  and  the  solemn  aspects  of  nature,  in  the  withered 
verdure  of  wood  and  field,  seemed  to  reiterate  the 
monitory  words  of  the  prophet,  "We  all  do  fiide 
as  a  leaf."  The  College  and  Theological  Seminary 
at  Kew  Brunswick  suspended  their  exercises,  and 
most  of  the  faculty  were  present  at  the  funeral.     At 


**    f 


214 


MEMOIR  OF  THE 


eleven  o'clock  a  large  number  of  persons,  of  whom 
many  were  clergymen,  assembled  at  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Lawrence  Yan  Derveer,  the  son-in-law  of  the  de- 
ceased, in  the  bosom  of  whose  ftimily  he  breathed  his 
last.     Prayer  was  there  offered   by  Professor  Yan 
Yranken,  of  the  Tlieological  Seminary ;  after  which 
the  procession  moved  to  the  Church  at  Ilarlingen,  so 
long  the  scene  of  Dr.  Labagh's  ministerial  labors. 
The  building  was  crowded  with  a  great  concourse  of 
people,  who  liad  come  together  from  the  Harlingen 
and  the  neighboring  congregations,  to  testify  their 
respect  for  the  memory  of  their  departed  father  and 
friend.     The  Consistory  of  the  Church,  as  an  expres- 
sion of  their  sorrow,  liad  draped  the  pidpit  in  mour- 
ning, and  in  front  of  it,  there  lay  sleeping  in  the  ves- 
ture of  the  dead  all  that  was  mortal  of  Peter  Labagh. 
The  services  were  opened  with  an  invocation  by 
the  Kev.  Edward  P.  Livingston,  late  of  Griggstown, 
Kew  Jersey,  but  now  of  Bushnell,  Illinois.     After 
reading  a  portion  of  Scripture,  the  Eev.  Dr.  Messier, 
of  Somerville,  lead  the  assembly  in  prayer.   The  ser- 
mon, founded  on  John  4 :  38,  "  Other  men  labored, 
and  ye  are  entered  into  their  labors,"  was  then  de- 
livered by  the  Pev.  Gabriel  Ludlow,  D.D.,  of  Shan- 
nock,  who  had  been  designated  to  that  service,  by 
Dr.  Labagh,  several  years  previous  to  his  decease. 
Of  the  sermon  itself,  it  is  not  necessary  to  say  more 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


215 


than  that  it  sustained  the  already  established  reputa- 
tion of  its  author.  It  will  be  found  in  full  in  an  ap- 
pendix to  this  Memoir.  The  closing  prayer  was 
offered  by  the  Rev.  John  Gardner,  of  Harlingen. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises  the  procession  was 
again  formed,  and  proceeded  to  the  old  burvin^ 
ground  of  the  Ilarlingen  Church.  Here,  in  the  hope 
of  a  glorious  resurrection,  the  remains  of  the  aged 
and  honored  servant  of  Christ  were  committed  to 
the  keeping  of  the  tomb.  Professor  Yan  Yranken 
read  an  impressive  selection  of  scripture  texts,  and 
offered  a  few  brief  remarks,  and  the  multitude  retired 
in  solemn  silence,  leaving  the  weary  sleeper  to  the 
repose  from  which  "  he  shall  not  awake,  till  the 
heavens  be  no  more."^ 

*  It  should  be  stated  in  this  connection,  that  near  the  time  of  Dr 
Labagh's  death,  the  people  of  Rocky  Hill  purchased  ground  for  a 
public  cemetery  in  a  pleasant  location  about  half  a  mile  north  of  the 
village.     Convinced  that  the  more  private  and  too  often  neglected 
burying  grounds  must,  at   no  distant  day,  be  iu  a  large  measure 
abandoned  for  the  well  guarded  cemetery,  in  which  the  whole  com- 
munity  felt  an  interest,  the  family  of  Dr.  Labagh  were  desirous  that 
his  remains  should  be  removed  to  Rocky  Hill ;  and  the  more  so,  as 
the  cemetery  is  quite  near  the  family  residence  where  Dr.  Labagh 
spent  the  twelve  years  immediately  preceding  his  death.     After 
much  consideration  the  removal  was  decided  upon  by  his  children, 
and,  on  May  27,  1859,  just  seven  months  from  the  time  of  his  burial, 
his  remains  were  removed,  and  deposited  in  the  Rocky  Hill  cemetery, 
where  a  suitable  monument  is  about  to  be  erected  to  his  memory. 


216 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


As  kindred  and  friends,  and  the  survivors  to  whom 
he  ministered  in  the  Gospel,  shall  pass  away,  one  by 
one,  and  be  carried  by  neighbors  to  their  burial,  how 
many  will  be  the  recollections  which  the  grave  of 
Peter  Labagh  will  awaken  in  the  minds  of  the  living! 
They  will  remember  the  words  which  he  spoke,  while 
he  was  yet  with  them.     They  will  see  him  again,  as 
in  years  gone  by,  standing  in  the  sacred  desk,  and 
pleading  with  them  to  give  their  hearts  to  the  Saviour, 
and  to  live  for  heaven.     They  will  be  carried  back 
over  the  interval  of  time,  and  the  scenes  that  have 
vanished  to  return  no  more,  save  to  memory's  eye, 
will  rise  up  before  them  as  by  some  spell  of  magic. 
The  form,  the  features,  the  gesture  of  the  hand,  the 
look  of  love— they  will  all  be  there.     The  past  will 
return.     The  vision  of  former  years  will  be  repro- 
duced.    The  thoughts  which  then    swept   over  the 
mind,  like  cloud  shadows  over  the  plain ;  the  emo- 
tions which  then  stirred  the  heart,  as  the  breeze  stirs 
the  forest,  will  be  rescued  from  oblivion,  and  be  re- 
stored to  life  and  power. 

A  few  days  after  the  funeral,  the  Consistory  of  the 
Church  of  Griggstown  met,  and  directed  by  a  unani- 
mous vote,  the  following  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
Dr.  Labagh,  to  be  placed  upon  their  minutes,  and  a 
copy  to  be  forwarded  to  the  Christian  Intelligencer 
for  publication : 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


217 


"  Whereas,  It  has  pleased  the  Great  Head  of  the 
Church,  on  the  25th  day  of  October,  to  remove  from 
us,  by  deatli,  our  venerable  and  much  esteemed 
father  and  brother,  the  Eev.  Peter  Labagh,  D.D., 
therefore, 

''Eesolvcd,  That  we  fool  greatly  afflicted  in  his  re- 
moval ;  for  not  only  was  he  our  instructor  in  youth, 
but  the  counselor  of  our  riper  years :  we  shall  miss 
him  in  times  of  difficulty  and  affliction,  when  the 
advice  of  a  sound  and  experienced  mind,  and  a  warm 
and  true  heart,  is  most  needed. 

^'Resolved,  That  this  Cliurch,  in  his  removal,  has 
sustained  an  irreparable  loss ;  for  his  venerable  form, 
and  his  words  of  wisdom  and  piety,  will  no  longer  be 
with  us  to  encourage  in  tlie  divine  life,  save  as  he 
and  Iiis  instructions  live  in  grateful  memor3^ 

^'Resolved,  That  we  acknowledge  and  feel  the 
kindness  of  a  covenant  kocping  God,  in  sparing  him 
for  so  long  and  eminent  a  career  of  usefulness  in  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  for  permitting  us  for  so  many 
years  to  look  up  to  him,  as  children  to  a  parent. 

''Resolved,  That  we  acknowledge  with  gratitude 
the  ordering  of  Providence,  with  whom  are  the  times 
and  the  seasons,  in  granting  so  beautiful  a  day  for  his 
interment ;  thus  permitting  the  young  and  the  aged, 
and  his  ministerial  brethren,  in  so  large  a  number,  to 
be  present  at  his  burial. 

10 


Resolved^  That  we  cherish  a  grateful  memoiy  of 
the  hours  spent  under  his  ministry,  in  the  catecheti- 
cal and  Bible  class,  in  the  sanctuary,  in  the  prayer 
meeting  and  social  intercourse,  and  in  planning  for 
the  advancement  of  the  Kedeemer's  kingdom. 

''Resolvedy  Tliat  we  tender  to  his  bereaved  family 
our  sincere  condolence  in  their  sore  affliction,  and 
weep  with  them  as  they  weep,  feeling  that  death  has 
removed  from  us  and  them  a  mutual,  and  dearly  be- 
loved, and  valuable  friend." 

The  Classis  of  Philadelphia,  at  the  semi-annual 
meeting,  held  April  19,  1859,  adopted  the  following 
resolutions  as  an  expression  of  sorrow  in  view  of  the 
loss  which  that  body  had  sustained  in  the  death  of 
Dr.  Labagh,  for  nearly  forty-five  years  one  of  its  most 
prompt  and  efficient  members : 

'' Resolved,  That  we,  as  a  Classis,  would  express 
and  record  our  sincere  and  deep  sense  of  the  loss  of 
one  who  has  been  a  member  of  this  body  since  its 
first  organization,  a  member  always  punctual  and 
highly  useful,  and  our  very  great  respect  for  and 
confidence  in  the  deceased,  as  a  disciple  and  minister 
of  Christ. 

'^  Resolved,  Thsit  vi-Q  desire  to  express  and  record 
our  gratitude  to  God  for  the  excellent  qualities  and 
gifts  of  our  departed  father ;  for  his  decided  useful- 


ness and  example  wliile  in  the  ministry,  during  a 
period  so  protracted ;  for  the  continuance  of  his 
faculties  to  an  extreme  old  age ;  for  the  exemption, 
almost  to  the  last,  from  great  bodily  prostration  and 
Buffering ;  and  for  the  good  liope  we  cherish  that  he 
has  gone  to  his  rest  and  reward. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  above  resolutions 
be  forwarded  to  the  widow  and  children  of  the  de- 
ceased, and  to  tlie  editor  of  the  Christian  Intelli' 
gencer 


,» " 


It  has  ah-eady  been  stated  tliat  Dr.  Labagh  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  tlie  Somerset  County  Bible 
Society,  and  that  he  always  took  a  pecuh'ar  pleasure 
in  being  present  at  its  meetings.  That  Society  held 
its  forty-second  anniversary  at  Somerville,  August 
9,  1859,  on  which  occasion  it  gave  utterance  to  its 
profound  respect  for  the  memory  of  the  dead  in  the 
following  appropriate  terms : 

**  Whereas,  It  has  pleased  Ahnighty  God  to  re- 
move by  death,  since  the  last  annual  meeting,  the 
Rev.  Peter  Labagh,  D.D.,  for  a  long  series  of  years 
pastor  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  Harlin- 
gen,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  this  Society ;  and 
whereas,  it  is  highly  proper  that  notice  be  taken  of 
this  dealing  of  the  Most  High,  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  while  we  bow  with  submission  to 


w 


220 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


the  Providence  of  God,  which  has  taken  from  us  this 
venerable  servant  of  His,  we  recognize  the  goodness 
of  God  in  so  long  sparing  him  to  minister  in  His 
name,  and  to  labor  in  the  cause  of  the  Bible. 

"  Resolved^  That  the  departure  from  among  us  of 
those  who  have  taken  so  much  interest  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  work  of  Bible  distribution,  shows  us 
who  survive  the  high  importance  of  working  while 
it  is  called  dav. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Society  sincerely  sympathizes 
with  the  family  and  friends  of  the  deceased,  in  the 
Providence  which  has  removed  from  them  their  vene- 
rable relation,  and  would  commend  them  to  the 
care  of  Him  whose  Gospel  he  so  long  proclaimed." 

After  this  Memoir  was  completed,  and  had  gone  to 
the  office  of  publication,  the  writer  received,  through 
President  Frelinghuysen,  of  Eutgers  College,  a 
similar  testimony  to  the  deep  sense  of  regard  enter- 
tained for  Dr.  Labagh  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
that  institution.  At  a  meeting  held  October  11, 
1859,  the  ensuing  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted  by  the  Board  : 

''  Resolved,  Tliat  we  record,  with  deep  respect  and 
veneration  for  his  memory,  the  decease  of  the  Pkv. 
Peter  Labaoh,  D.D.,  late  a  member  of  this  Board, 
who,  by  his  constant  and  faithful  services,  evinced 


I 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


221 


his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  Rutgers  College ;  and 
by  a  long  life  of  earnest  and  devoted  labors  in  the 
gospel  ministry,  promoted  the  edification  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Church  ;  turned  many  to  righteousness ; 
and  has  gone,  as  we  trust  and  believe,  to  reap  the 
gracious  rewards  of  a  well-spent  life. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  resolution  be  fur- 
nished to  his  bereaved  widow  and  family,  and  be  also 

published  in  the  Christian  Intelligence^^  and  in  The 
Sower, ^^ 


)il 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Estimate   of  his  character  —  Personal   appearance,   health,  and 
VIGOR  —  Intellectual  symmetry  —  Common  sense  and  Judgment, 

AND     fertility     OF     INVENTION  REASONING     POWERS  LOVK    OF 

POLITE    LITERATURE     AND    MUSIC,  AND    OF    NEATNESS     AND    PERSPICUITY 

OF   STYLE Wit  and  HUMOR  ANECDOTES  MeMORY  SoLEMN 

MYSTERY    OF   ITS   POWER    IN   THE   DYING HaBITS    AS    A   STUDENT 

Piety  —  Anecdote  —  Preaching  —  Pastoral  labors  and  influ- 
ence —  Testimony  of  Rev.  N.  D.  Williamson,  a  former  parish- 
ioner —  Church  love  and  Catholic  sympathies  —  Regard  for 
Dr.  Miller  —  Uniformity  of  the  impression  made  by  Dr.  La- 
bagh  upon  the  minds  of  others  —  Letter  of  Dr.  Van  Vechten 
—  Letter  or  Dr.  Bkthune  —  Conclusion. 

Of  the  character  of  Dr.  Labagh,  in  several  of  its 
various  aspects,  a  general  idea  has  already  been  con- 
veyed by  the  foregoing  sketch  of  his  life  and  labors. 
As  every  man's  history  is  but  the  external  develop- 
ment of  his  character,  so  the  page  which  records  the 
one  is  only  the  mirror  which  reflects  the  other  to  the 
reader's  mind.  The  ruling  spirit  of  the  actor  is  ever 
so  transfused  into  the  action  he  performs,  that  if  it 
does  not  lie  upon  the  surface,  it  lies,  at  least,  like 


I 


224 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


some  of  tlie  veins  of  the  liuman  body  which  guide 
the  ruddy  currents  of  its  life,  so  near  tlie  surface,  as 
to  be  apparent  to  every  spectator.  It  is  the  less 
needful,  therefore,  that  the  writer  should  dwell  at 
any  considerable  length  upon  many  of  Dr.  Labagh's 
characteristics. 

From  his  early  infancy  to  his  old  age,  he  was  a 
person  of  robust  and  vigorous  health.  He  enjoyed 
in  its  fullest  sense,  what  so  few  comparatively  of  the 
human  race  are  permitted  to  enjoy,  the  blessing  of  a 
sound  mind  in  a  sound  bod  v.  In  stature,  as  in  form 
and  feature,  he  shared  largely  the  physical  peculiar- 
ities of  the  Holland  race,  from  which  he  sprang.  He 
was  a  man  of  probably  a  little  less  than  the  medium 
height,  of  firmly  compacted  frame,  of  ample  shoul- 
ders, and  of  well  developed  chest.  Even  in  his 
advanced  vears  he  retained,  without  beinor  obese, 
the  rounded  fullness  of  outline  and  limb,  and  the 
appearance  of  easy  flexibility,  whic^^  we  so  often  ob- 
serve in  a  child.  Yet,  when  the  writer  first  knew  him, 
whatever  may  have  been  the  case  at  an  earlier  period 
of  his  life,  his  movements  were  not  remarkable  either 
for  any  exhibition  or  for  any  lack  of  grace.  He  had 
a  full  face,  and  an  eye  not  brilliant,  but  clear  and 
expressive.  His  upper  lip  was  slightly  scarred,  by 
an  accident  w^iich  happened  to  liim  in  his  childhood, 
but  not  to  such  an  extent  as  to  constitute  either  a 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,   D.D. 


225 


deformity  in  his  personal  appearance,  or  an  impedi- 
ment to  his  speech.  His  head  was  very  large.  The 
most  striking  feature  he  possessed,  probably,  was  his 
broad  and  massive  forehead.  As  it  lay  in  calm 
repose,  partly  obscured,  and  partly  gleaming  out 
though  the  grayish  locks  which  fell  carelessly  upon 
it,  bold,  solid,  and  capacious ;  borrowing  also  from 
the  expression  of  the  countenance  as  a  whole,  a  part 
of  the  peculiarity  by  which  it  arrested  the  attention, 
it  spoke  unmistakably  to  the  thoughful  beholder,  of 
the  intellectual  power  which  there  held  its  seat. 
Yiew^ed  in  regard  to  its  mental  indications  Dr.  La- 
bagh  had  a  very  interesting  face.  A  clergyman,* 
who  is  himself  the  son  of  a  distinguished  clergyman, 
stated  recently  in  a  conversation,  that  he  remembered 
when  a  lad,  to  have  singled  out  from  the  counten- 
ances of  a  number  of  ministers  whom  he  saw^  at  his 
father's  house,  the  countenance  of  Dr.  Labagh  as  one 
which  was  to  him  uncommonly  attractive. 

There  have  probably  been  but  few  ministers  in  the 
active  service  of  the  Church,  within  the  memory  of 
any  person  now  living,  w^ho  have  enjoyed  more  uni- 
form health,  or  who  have  been  less  frequently  inter- 
rupted by  bodily  ailment,  while  in  the  performance 
of  their  oflicial  duties. 


*The  Rev.  John  Mason  Ferris,  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 
10* 


226 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


Dr.  Labagh's  mind  presented  a  peculiar  combination 
and  harmony  of  endowments.  In  the  distribution  of 
intellectual  gifts  by  the  Creator,  some  persons  receive 
one  faculty  in  predominant  strength,  and  some  ano- 
ther; but  it  seldom  occurs,  that  upon  one  and  the 
same  individual  all,  or  even  many,  of  the  faculties 
which  enter  into  the  mental  constitution,  are  bestowed 
in  extraordinary  measure.  It  has  passed  into  a  pro- 
verb, as  old  at  least  as  the  Roman  poet,  who  sang  the 
wanderings  of  ^neas,  that  "  we  cannot,  all  of  us, 
do  all  things."  Wit  and  judgment  seldom  go  to- 
gether. The  faculty  which  inclines  a  person  to  enter 
with  pleasure  into  the  rigorous  processes  of  mathe- 
matical calculation  or  metaphysical  reasoning,  is 
rarely  found  in  alliance  with  that  other  faculty,  which 
leads  its  possessor  in  delight  through  the  poet's  ideal 
realm  of  taste  and  beauty.  Between  the  remaining 
faculties  as  well,  there  seems  often  to  be  a  disagree- 
ment which  renders  it,  in  the  common  opinion,  an 
impossibility,  or,  if  not  that,  at  all  events  a  contra- 
diction, for  one  person  to  be  equally  eminent  in 
them  all. 

To  this  rule  it  may  be  said,  though  with  consider- 
able allowance,  that  there  are  occasional  exceptions. 
Here  and  there  an  individual  arises  who  seems  to 
combine  in  himself,  if  not  the  sum  of  all  the  facul- 
ties, at  least  many  of  those  which  are  thought  to  be 


in  opposition  to  each  other.  Without  intending  to 
utter  the  extravagant  sentiment — extravagant,  to 
whomsoever  it  might  be  applied — that  Dr.  Labagh 
possessed  every  faculty  in  remarkable  power,  the 
writer  believes  that  he  may  say,  with  entire  truth, 
that  in  the  number,  the  strength,  and  the  harmony  of 
its  natural  and  peculiar  endowments,  the  intellectual 
character  of  Dr.  Labagh  was  worthy  of  great  admi- 
ration. 

He  possessed,  first  of  all,  "a  large  round-about 
common  sense,"  which  seemed  to  diffuse  itself  through 
every  part,  and  to  regidate  every  power  of  his  mental 
constitution.  He  had  also,  among  the  original  ele- 
ments of  his  character,  a  far-reaching  and  practical 
sagacity,  which,  by  constant  use  in  his  intercourse 
with  men,  became  still  more  acute  and  ready.  His 
judgment,  as  might  be  inferred  from  the  possession 
of  these  qualities,  was  sound  and  reliable ;  and  con- 
sequently he  seldom  failed  in  his  selection  of  the 
time,  place  or  means,  for  the  execution  of  those  plans 
which  he  had  either  devised  himself,  or  adopted  from 
others,  for  the  extension  and  prosperity  of  the  Church. 
He  was  eminently  a  safe  counselor,  and  on  the  floor 
of  the  Synod  and  of  the  Classis  his  opinions  very  fre- 
quently exercised  a  controlling  influence.  His  exe- 
cutive ability,  his  promptness  of  resource  and  inven- 
tion in  an  emergency,  and  the  perseverance  with 


I 


228 


ilEMOIR    OF    THE 


which  he  labored  on,  even  when  the  prospect  seemed 
to  be  far  from  promising,  were  quite  clearly  among 
his  characteristic  traits.  Amid  the  discouragement 
of  others,  as  in  the  effort  to  endow  the  third  profes- 
sorship, for  example,  his  indomitable  spirit  was  the 
prophet  of  final  success. 

In  matters  which  required  the  exercise  of  discrimi- 
nation and  reason  he  was  no  less  at  home.  His  per- 
ceptions were  very  rapid  in  seizing  the  salient  points 
of  a  question  under  debate,  and  yet  they  were  ex- 
tremely clear.  "He  had  the  eye  of  a  bird,  it  was 
both  telescopic  and  microscopic."  When  he  read  or 
listened,  he  seemed  to  discover,  bv  a  sort  of  intui- 
tion,  whither  a  principle  or  argument  would  lead, 
and  as  he  surveyed  the  chain  cjf  reasoning  before 
him,  he  would  lay  his  finger  at  once  upon  the  defec- 
tive link,  and  say,  "There;  at  that  point  tlie  argu- 
ment breaks  down."  His  loijrical  faculty  was  a 
prominent  feature  of  his  mind.  It  moved  on  to  its 
object  with  great  perspicuity  and  directness. 

•  And  yet,  whatever  appearance  of  contradiction  the 
statement  may  have,  it  is  still  true,  that  with  these 
more  rugged  and  practical  qualities,  he  combined  in 
an  equal,  if  not  superior  degree,  what  seemed  to  be  a 
natural  taste  for  the  beauty  and  grace  of  polite  litera- 
ture, the  rhythm  and  cadence  of  poetry,  and  the 
melody  and  harmony  of  music.     It  is  here  spoken  of 


as  a  natural  taste,  because  it  did  not  seein  to  be  so 
much  the  effect  of  his  education  and  reading,  as  the 
innate  cause  whicli  impelled  him  in  early  life  to  seek 
the  advantages  of  knowledge,  and  in  his  riper  years 
to  delight  in  the  works  of  the  great  masters  of  Eng- 
lish composition.  To  the  same  fiicultv  of  mind,  as 
the  arbiter  of  pi'opriety  and  beauty,  are  we  to  refer 
the  precision,  and  what  Dryden  calls  tlie  cleanness  of 
his  modes  of  expression,  whether  in  written  or  extem- 
poraneous discourse.  There  were  no  complicated,  or 
involved,  or  ambiguous  sentences ;  no  dangling  ap- 
pendages hanging  on  to  the  ends  of  them,  like  the 
half  loosened  ravelings  of  a  garment.  When  he 
used  figurative  language,  there  was  no  violation  of 
unity,  or  mixing  up  of  metaphors,  no  "beginning 
with  a  tempest,  and  ending  with  a  conflagration." 
What  he  had  to  say,  he  said  chastely  and  appro- 
priately, but  in  downright  and  unmistakable  Saxon, 
and  then  stopped.  The  writer  remembers  to  have 
had  his  attention  frequently  arrested  while  listening 
to  Dr.  Labagh's  public  addresses,  and  even  his 
prayers,  by  their  remarkable  freedom  from  every 
thing  like  tautology  or  infelicity  of  expression.  His 
manuscript  sermons  and  other  productions  of  his 
pen,  which  liave  been  examined  since  his  death, 
with  a  view  to  the  preparation  of  this  Memoir,  have 
given  additional  evidence  of  tlie  same  delicacy  of 


!t 


! 
! 


230 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


taste,  in  the  erasure  and  substitution  of  terms,  in  or- 
der to  avoid  an  unpleasant  repetition,  or  an  inaccu- 
racy in  conveying  liis  thoughts,  or  an  awkward  col- 
location of  words  in  a  sentence. 

Among  the  other  characteristics  of  Dr.  Labagh's 
mind,  his  wit  and  humor  are  also  w^orthy  of  mention. 
Tlie  ftict  that  he  was  a  man  of  thorough  experimental 
pietv  and  rare  good  sense,  affords  a  sufficient  assu- 
rance that  the  sportive  play  of  his  faculties  did  not 
deo-enerate  into  levitv  on  the  one  hand,  nor  into 
coarseness  on  the  other.  His  heart  was  a  perennial 
fountain  of  kindness  and  good  will  toward  men,  and 
seldom,  if  ever,  did  it  permit  him  to  exercise  his 
gifts  in  wanton  aggression  upon  others.  But  if  the 
object  and  the  occasion  required  it,  then,  quick  and 
glittering,  he  flashed  like  the  electric  cloud. 

He  was  present,  some  years  since,  at  a  meeting  of 
ministers  and  others,  wdio  had  been  brought  together 
by  the  anniversary  of  a  local  benevolent  society.  In 
the  number  of  those  who,  with  himself,  were  assigned 
for  entertainment  to  the  hospitality  of  a  gentleman  in 
the  neighborhood,  was  a  person  who  had  formerly 
held  a  position  in  the  United  States  navy.  Having 
been  accustomed  to  the  vocabulary  employed  on  ship- 
board, he  did  not  seem  to  recognize  the  impropriety 
of  introducing  it  into  conversation  with  a  company 
of  clergymen,  and,  for  the  most  part,  of  pious  lay- 


men. Wiiile  at  the  dinner  table,  some  reference  was 
made  to  a  certain  course  of  action  w^hich,  it  was  pro- 
posed, should  be  pursued  by  the  members  of  the  so- 
ciety; whereupon  the  ex-naval  officer  exclaimed,  with 
rather  startling  energy  of  voice  :  "  I  wouldn't  do  it; 
by  Jupiter,  I  would  n't  do  it !"  Dr.  Labagh,  who  was 
sitting  near,  turned  around,  and,  with  a  quiet  air,  in- 
quired of  him  :  "  Are  you  a  heathen  ?"  "  JSTo !"  said 
he,  abruptly,  "  w^hat  makes  you  think  so  ?"  "  Why," 
answered  the  Doctor,  calmly,  "I  heard  you  swearing 
by  one  of  the  heathen  gods."  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  nothing  more  was  heard  of  "Jupiter"  after 
that. 

At  another  time,  while  engaged  in  collecting  funds 
to  endow^  a  professorship  in  the  Theological  Seminary, 
on  approaching  an  individual  he  was  accosted  thus : 
"  What !  have  you  come  begging  again  ?"  The  Doc- 
tor replied :  "  Do  not  you  go  begging  every  day  ? 
and  has  your  heavenly  Benefactor  ever  said  to  you  : 
'  What !  have  you  come  begging  again  V  "  The  re- 
partee had  argument  as  w^ell  as  wit,  and  secured  the 
desired  contribution. 

On  one  occasion,  during  a  brief  visit  which  they 
made  together  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  Dr.  Labagh 
and  the  writer  had  the  honor  to  dine  w^ith  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  College.  Several  strokes  of  pleasantry 
passed  betw^een  the  two  learned  Doctors,  w^hich  memory 


does  not  now  recall.  After  dinner  it  was  proposed 
to  take  a  look  at  a  number  of  interesting  paintings  in 
the  portrait  gallery  belonging  to  the  institution. 
"While  passing  out  of  the  hall,  on  their  return,  atten- 
tion was  called  to  the  fixtures,  which  had  not  yet 
been  completed,  for  the  introduction  of  gas  into  some 
of  the  College  buildings.  Turning  towards  the  Pre- 
sident, with  whom  he  was  on  terms  of  social  intimacy. 
Dr.  Labagh  said,  with  his  peculiar  twinkle  of  the 
eve:  "So  you  have  come  to  the  conclusion  here  that 
the  College  can't  prosper  without  gas.''  "  Oh  !  no," 
replied  the  President,  promptly,  in  the  same  vein, 
"716*  college  can  get  along  without  gas.^"^ 

Dr.  Labasrh's  humor,  even  beyond  three  score 
years  and  ten,  was  the  simple-hearted,  innocent,  glee- 
some  humor  of  a  child.  Time  dimmed  his  eye,  and 
whitened  his  locks,  and  impaired  the  vigor  of  his 
frame,  but  it  never  withered  the  natui-al  joyousness 
of  his  spirit.  Everywhere  else  the  winter  of  old  age 
had  evidently  come,  but  in  his  breast  it  was  always 
spring.  He  had  a  cpiick  perception  of  the  ludicrous, 
and  any  thing  that  was  really  adapted  to  call  it  into 
play,  as  a  grotesque  association  of  ideas,  or  combina- 
tion of  parts,  or  an  exhibition  of  imaginary  alarm, 
awakened  in  him  a  merriment  so  genial  and  hearty, 
and  yet  so  sensible,  that  it  became  contagious  to  every 
one  around  him.    "  When  you  have  taken  all  the  boy 


out  of  a  man,"  says  the  old  adage,  "  there  is  not 
enough  left  to  render  him  worth  preserving."  The 
boy,  in  this  case,  was  never  lost.  In  the  social 
gatherings  of  the  neighborhood,  consequently,  of 
whomsoever  composed,  Dr.  Labagh  was  always  wel- 
come. Every  age  found  companionship  in  him.  To 
the  young,  he  was  always  "  the  dear  old  Dominie," 
and  when  he  was  taken  at  last  to  a  better  world,  none 
mourned  his  loss  more  sincerely  than  they. 

Dr.   Labagh  liad  an  excellent  memory.     It  was 
not  only  capacious   and  retentive,  but  exceedingly 
prompt.     By  tliose  who  were  familiar  with  him  in 
his  prime,  it  is  said  to  have  acted  with  uncommon 
vigor  in  seizing  and  reproducing,  at  the  will  of  its 
possessor,  whatever  seemed  most  important  for  his 
u  se.     Superior  as  it  was,  however,  it  is  not  probable 
that  it  was  equal  to  that  of  his  friend.  Dr.  Cannon. 
His  memory  was  decidedly  a  power  among  his  facul- 
ties.    Its  comprehensiveness  and  tenacity  were  pro- 
digious.    He  reminded  one  of  Fuller's  remark  about 
Dr.  John  Eeynolds  :  "His  memory  was  little  less 
than  miraculous,  he  himself  being  the  truest  table  to 
the  multitude  of  voluminous  books  he  had  read." 
Toward  the  close  of  his  life,  for  three  or  four  years 
at  least  before  he  died.  Dr.  Labagh's  memory  suf- 
fered,  in  some  degree,  a  diminution  of  its  strength 
and  promptitude  of  action.     Like  almost  all  persons 


far  advanced  in  age,  he  loved  to  go  back  to  the  days 
of  his  youth  and  earlier  manhood,  and  to  dwell  upon 
tlie  scenes  and  events  in  which  he  then  mingled  or 
bore  a  part.  A  striking  illustration  of  this  tendency 
to  recall  the  past,  was  afforded  by  an  incident  which 
occurred  during  the  last  sickness  of  his  old  friend 
and  brother  in  the  ministry.  Dr.  Brodhead.  He 
died  in  June,  1855,  at  the  age  of  a  little  more  than 
seventy-three  years.  A  short  time  before  he  expired, 
he  roused  himself  after  an  interval  of  unbroken 
quiet,  and  with  great  energy  of  voice  uttered  the 
words,  "  Peter  Labagh !  Peter  Labagh  !  "  Having 
done  this,  he  again  relapsed  into  silence.  While  the 
body  was  sinking,  the  mind  was  holding  converse 
with  the  friends  of  by-gone  years.  There  is  some- 
thing mysterious  and  awful  in  the  power  of  memory, 
which  we  so  often  see  illustrated  in  the  aged  and  the 
dying,  to  restore  the  past,  and  cause  it  to  move,  in 
solemn  procession  and  review,  before  the  vision  of 
the  soul.  It  is  the  foreshadowing,  to  the  wicked,  of 
one  of  the  most  tremendous  and  appalling  realities 
that  can  be  anticipated  by  them  in  their  experience 
of  the  eternal  world. 

With  regard  to  Dr.  Labagh's  habits  as  a  student, 
it  should  be  stated,  in  order  to  a  proper  estimate  of 
his  character,  that  they  were  more  or  less  modified 
by  the  circumstances  in  the  midst  of  which  he  com- 


menced his  ministry.  His  age,  the  early  part  of  it, 
at  least,  was  the  formative  period  of  the  Church. 
The  agitations  occasioned  by  the  Kevolutionary 
struggle  of  nearly  eight  years'  duration,  had  indeed, 
subsided,  but  their  efi*ects  upon  society  were  still 
visible,  and  required  the  ameliorating  hand  of  time. 
After  a  violent  and  somewhat  prolonged  separation, 
the  scattered  elements  of  the  Church  had  begun  to 
re-unite.  And  the  only  alternative  presented  to  him 
was  a  life,  either  studious  but  barren,  on  the  one 
hand,  or  active  and  practical,  and  consequently  full 
of  benefit  to  the  Church,  on  the  other.  His  choice 
fell  upon  the  latter.  He  comprehended  the  demands 
of  his  age,  and  he  met  them  with  promptness  and 
success.  The  result  to  him  was,  that  he  did  not,  be- 
cause he  could  not,  form  the  habits  of  a  systematic 
and  laborious  student.  It  would  be  no  more  reason- 
able to  find  fault  with  him  because  he  did  not,  than 
it  would  be  to  find  fault  with  the  pioneer  in  the 
wilderness  because  he  did  not  set  up  his  chemical 
apparatus,  and  go  to  analyzing  the  soil,  while  his 
family  were  starving  for  bread.  It  would  have  been 
a  downright  dereliction  of  duty,  if  he  had  turned 
aside  from  the  work  of  re-construction  to  which  the 
providence  of  God  called  him,  and  given  up  his 
time,  however  pleasant  it  might  have  been  to  him- 
self, to  the  pursuits  of  theological  and  various  learning. 


As  it  was,  he  was  a  man  of  large  reading  as  well 
as  of  large  observation.  His  early  training  must 
have  been  very  accurate.  What  he  knew  apparently, 
he  knew  really.  In  his  knowledge  of  biblical  and 
ecclesiastical  history,  and  of  the  principles  and  appli- 
cation of  hermeneutics,  he  was  clear  and  prompt. 
But  his  forte  probably  lay  in  the  department  of  sys- 
tematic theology.  Among  the  subjects  which  a 
clergyman  of  decided  intellect  usually  finds  himself 
able  to  examine,  there  were  not  many  with  which 
Dr.  Labagh  was  not  familiar. 

His  piety  was  very  simple  and  child-like.  Of  him 
it  could  be  trulv  said,  that  he  "  received  with  meek- 
ness  the  engrafted  word."  He  was  a  man  of  thorough 
Christian  experience.  There  was  about  him  a  reve- 
rent, docile  confidence  in  God,  as  his  heavenly 
Father.  The  love  of  Christ,  and  his  power  and  wil- 
lingness to  save,  were  very  precious  to  his  soul.  And 
his  love  for  Christ,  and  for  his  Church,  in  return, 
warmed  him  through  and  through.  It  manifested 
itself  in  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  the  disposition  to 
contribute  liberally  to  the  cause  of  religion  and  be- 
nevolence, which  characterized  him  to  the  last.  He 
was  never  able  to  tell  exactly  when  it  was  that  he 
experienced  a  change  of  heart.  His  transition  from 
nature  to  grace  seems  to  have  been  like  the  transition 
from  the  darkness  that  precedes  the  dawn  to  the  full 


REV.  PETER  LABAGH,  D.D. 


237 


brightness  of  the  risen  day ;  so  gradual  and  so  gentle 
that  he  scarcely  knew  what  liad  occurred,  until  he 
found  liimself  in  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Elghteous- 
ness,  and  saying,  with  him  whose  eyes  were  opened 
by  the  Saviour:  "One  thing  I  know,  that,  whereas  I 
was  blind,  now  I  see."     But  no  one  could  be  with 
him  long  witliout  discovering  tliat  in  his  heart  there 
was  something  which  nature  has  no  power  to  give. 
He  took  a  special  delight  in  recognizing  the  hand  of 
his  heavenly  Father  in  all  tlie  blessings  and  events  of 
life.     His  home,  his  raiment,  his  food,  were  all  the 
gifts  of  divine  mercy.     He  never  rose  from  the  table 
wliere   he   had   eaten,  without  first   expressing   his 
gratitude  ;  and  the  expression  was  not  a  mere  form, 
but  tlie  genuine  outbreathing  of  his  soul. 

An  old  gentleman  who  liad  long  been  an  elder  in  a 
neigliboring  Church   to   that  of  Ilarlingen,  related 
not  long  since  an  incident  which  left  on  his  mind  an 
abiding  and  vivid  impression  of  the  propriety  of  re- 
turning tlianks  after  meals.     He  was  dining  some 
years  ago  with  Dr.  Labagh,  in  a  company  of  persons 
who  were  nearly  all  professors  of  religion,   when 
some  of  those  present,  after  completing  their  dinner, 
arose  and  left  the  table.     Acting  under  the  force  of 
example,  he  was  proceeding  to  leave  himself,  when 
Dr.  Labagh,  to  wliom   he  was  well  known,  turned 
around,  and  with   a  look  of  surprise,  said  to  him, 


'*  What !  are  you  going  away,  too,  witliout  returning 
thanks?"  And  then,  alluding  to  the  scripture  quo- 
tation which  stands  connected  with  the  form  of 
"Grace  after  Meat,"  in  the  liturgy  of  the  Eeformed 
Dutch  Church,  he  added,  "You  surely  have  not  for- 
gotten the  precept,  ^When  thou  hast  eaten  and  art 
full,  then  thou  shalt  bless  the  Lord  thy  God  for  the 
good  land  which  he  hath  given  thee.' "  The  gentle- 
man took  his  seat  again,  and,  with  those  of  the  com- 
pany who  were  left,  remained  until  they  had  united 
in  a  suitable  exjpression  of  thanks."^ 

*  ArchbUhopTillotson,  in  a  sernion  on  Joshua  24:  16,  "preached 
at  St.  Lawrence-Jury,  July  13,  1684,"  has  the  following  admirable 
paragraphs  on  the  subject  of  family  religion,  among  the  duties  of 
which  he  places  the  habitual  recognition  of  God's  providence  in  the 
supply  of  our  physical  wants,  by  asking  a  blessing  and  returning 
thanks  at  our  meals.  Of  the  obligations  which  rest  upon  heads  of 
households,  one  of  "  the  principal  parts"  is  to  be  performed,  as  he 
tells  us : 

"  By  setting  up  the  constant  worship  of  God  in  our  families. 
By  daily  prayers  to  God,  every  morning  and  evening,  and  by  read- 
ing some  portion  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  at  those  times,  especially 
out  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  and  the  New  Testament.  And  this  is  so 
necessary  to  keep  alive  and  to  maintain  a  sense  of  Go«l  and  religion  in 
the  minds  of  men,  that  where  it  is  neglected,  I  do  not  see  how  any 
family  can  in  reason  be  esteemed  a  family  of  Christians,  or,  indeed, 
to  have  any  religion  at  all. 

"  Besides  the  reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are  the  great 
fountains  of  divine  truth,  we  may  do  well  likewise  to  add  to  these 


REV.    PETER  LABAGH,    D.D. 


239 


As  a  preacher  Dr.  Labagh  was  truly  apostolic. 
His  sermons  were  simple,  evangelical,  full  of  divine 
truth,  and  above  all,  full  of  Jesus  Christ  and  him  cru- 

other  pious  and  profitable  books,  which  by  their  plainness  are  fitted 
for  the  instruction  of  all  capacities  in  the  most  necessary  points  of 
belief  and  practice;  of  which  sort,  God  be  thanked,  there  is  an 
abundant  store,  but  none  that  I  think  is  more  fitted  for  general  and 
constant  use  than  that  excellent  book,  so  well  known  by  the  title  of 
the  '  Whole  Duty  of  Man;'  because  it  is  conveniently  divided  into 
parts  or  sections,  one  of  which  may  be  read  in  the  family  at  any 
time  when  there  is  leisure  for  it,  but  more  especially  on  the  Lord's 
day,  when  the  whole  family  may  the  more  easily  be  brought  and 
kept  together,  and  have  the  opportunity  to  attend  upon  these  things 
without  distraction. 

"  And,  which  1  must  by  no  means  omit,  because  it  is  in  many 
families  already  gone,  and  in  others  going,  out  of  fashion  ;  I  mean  a 
solemn  acknowledgment  of  the  providence  of  God,  by  begging  his 
blessing  at  our  meals  upon  his  good  creatures  provided  for  our  use, 
and  by  returning  thanks  to  him  for  the  benefit  and  refreshment  of 
them  ;  this  being  a  piece  of  natural  religion,  owned  and  practised 
in  all  ages,  and  in  most  places  of  the  world  ;  but  never  so  shamefully 
and  scandalously  neglected,  and  I  fear  by  many  slighted  and  de- 
spised, as  it  is  amongst  us  at  this  day;  and  most  neglected  where 
there  is  greatest  reason  for  the  doing  of  it,  I  mean  at  the  most  plen- 
tiful tables  and  among  those  of  highest  qualit}^ :  as  if  great  persons 
were  ashamed,  or  thought  scorn  to  own,  from  whence  these  blessings 
come,  like  the  nation  of  the  Jews,  of  whom  God  complains  in  the 
prophet,  Hos.  2:8:'  She  knew  not  that  I  gave  her  corn,  and  wine, 
and  oil,  and  multiplied  her  silver  and  gold.'    She  knew  not,  that 
is,  she  would  not  acknowledge  from  whose  bounty  all  these  bless- 
ings came ;  or,  as  if  the  poor  were  obliged  to  thank  God  for  a  little. 


240 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


cified  ;  and  he  delivered  them  to  his  people  with  an 
earnestness  and  nnction  which  left  no  room  for  doubt 
in  regard  to  the  great  object  which  he  was  most  anx- 
ious to  secure.  "  Euin  by  the  fall,  recovery  by 
Christ,  and  regeneration  by  the  Holy  Spirit,"  were 
the  prevailing  themes  of  his  ministry.  Like  the 
apostles  and  all  their  true  successors  in  every  age,  he 

but  those  who  are  fed  to  the  full,  and  whose  cups  overflow,  so  that 
they  arc  almost  every  day  surfeited  of  plenty,  were  not  at  least 
equally  bound  to  make  returns  of  thankful  acknowledgment  to  the 
great  Giver  of  all  good  things,  and  to  implore  his  bounty  and 
blessing,  upon  whom  the  eyes  of  all  do  wait,  that  he  may  give  them 
their  meat  in  due  season. 

'*  O,  crooked  and  perverse  generation !    Do  you  thus  reason  ?    Do 
you  thus  requite  the  Lord,  foolish  and  unwise  ?    Tliis  is  a  very  sad 
and  broad  sign  of  the  prevalence  of  Atheism  and  Infidelity  among 
U8,  when  so  natural  and  so  reasonable  a  piece  of  religion,  so  meet 
and  equal  an  acknowledgment  of  the  constant  and  daily  care  and 
providence  of  Almighty  God  towards  us,  begins  to  grow  out  of  date 
and  use,  in  a  nation  professing  religion  and  the  belief  of  the  being 
and  providence  of  God.     Is  it  not  a  righteous  thing  with  God  to 
take  away  his  blessings  from  us,  when  we  deny  him  this  just  and 
easy  tribute  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  ?    Shall  not  God  visit  for 
this  horrible  ingratitude  ?     And   shall  not  his  soul  be  avenged  on 
such  a  nation  as  this  ?     Hear,  0  heavens,  and  be  ye  horribly  aston- 
ished at  this!     I  hope  it  cannot  be  thought  misbecoming  the  mean- 
est  of  God's  ministers,  in  a  matter  wherein  the  honor  of  God  is  so 
nearly  concerned,  to  reprove,  even  in  the  highest  and  greatest  of  the 
sons  of  men,  so  shameful  and  heinous  a  fault  with  a  proportionable 
vehemence  and  severity." 


REV.    PETER  LABAGH,    D.D. 


2^1 


held  them  up  before  the  minds  of  his  hearers,  plainly 
and  perse  veringly ;  and  he  enforced  them  upon  their 
consideration  with  a  heart-felt  affection  and  desire 
for  their  eternal  welfare,  which  indicated  how  pro- 
foundly he  felt  their  importance  in  his  own  soul.  In 
a  sermon  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  his  death,  in 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  Eocky  Hill,  by  the 
pastor,  the  Eev.  Martin  L.  Schenck,  it  was  said  of 
him  no  less  happily  than  truly  :  "  His  preaching  was 
always  judicious,  clear  in  its  analysis,  and  highly 
instructive.  Many  years  since  one  of  his  parishionera 
remarked  to  me,  '  I  have  heard  great  men  preach, 
but  great  men  will  some  times  say  foolish  things ; 
but  I  have  never  heard  Mr.  Labagh  say  a  foolish 
thing  in  my  life.'  And  this  testimony  is  confirmed 
by  all  whose  privilege  it  was  to  sit  under  his  min- 
istry. He  was  a  ready  man.  His  extemporaneous 
discourses  were  delivered  with  quite  as  much  prompt- 
ness, fullness  of  matter,  and  freedom  from  hesitation, 
as  those  he  had  more  elaborately  prepared.  To  me 
this  indicates  the  fullness  of  his  general  preparation, 
and  that  activity  of  thought  which  secured  him  from 
the  loss  of  mental  power.  Possibly  he  may  at  times 
have  relied  upon  it  too  much,  but  that  lamp  only  is 
ever  ready  for  use,  which  is  kept  continually  filled 
and  trimmed." 

As  a  pastor  he  was  at  once  kind  and  faithful.    His 
11 


\ 


2^2 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


cordial  sympathy  with  his  people  in  all  their  sorrows 
and  their  joys  endeared  him  to  their  hearts ;  and  his 
judicious  counsel  and  cheerful  alacrity  in  doing  what 
he  could  to  promote  their  happiness  in  time  and  in 
eternity,  won  their  confidence  and  enabled  him  to 
labor  with  success. 

He  always  felt  and  manifested  a  deep  interest  in 
the  religious  training  and  welfare  of  the  young.   But 
during  the  later  years  of  his  pastoral  connection  it 
became  so  conspicuous,  that  it  might  almost  be  said 
to  have  been  one  of  the  peculiar  features  of  his  min- 
istry.    In  a  sermon  which  he  preached  to  the  young 
people  of  his  congregation,  only  a  short  time  before 
he  retired  from  regular  service,  he  expressed  to  them, 
in  affecting  terms,  his  long  cherished  desire  that  they 
might  be  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  doctrines  of 
God's  word,  and  be  made  partakers  of  life  everlast- 
ing.    That   desire,  he  informed   them,  so  far   from 
diminishing  in  his  old  age,  had  become  deeper  and 
stronger  with  the  lapse  of  years,  and  he  knew  of 
nothing  more  worthy  to  be  made  the  subject  of  ear- 
nest prayer  by  the  Church,  than  the  conversion  of 
the  children  and  youth  to  Christ. 

His  evident  aim,  and  his  efforts  to  secure  this  ob- 
ject, left  an  abiding  impression  upon  the  minds  of 
his  people.  A  clergyman,  the  Kev.  N.  Dubois  Wil- 
liamson, pastor  of  the  Eeformed  Dutch  Church  of 


. 


Wawarsing,  New  York,  who  grew  up  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Harlingen  congregation,  and  was 
brought,  by  Dr.  Labagh's  instrumentality,  into  both 
the  Church  and  the  ministry,  has  furnished  an  inte- 
resting account  of  his  early  recollections,  from  which 
the  following  is  an  extract.  In  speaking  of  Dr.  La- 
bagh  as  a  pastor  he  says  : 

"His  sermons  recognized  the  duty  of  ministers  to 
give  especial  attention  to  the  moral  and  spiritual 
culture  of  the  young.  We  were  never  left  to  ima- 
gine that  we  must  not  feel  any  personal  interest  in 
the  preaching  until  we  arrived  at  adult  age.  On  the 
contrary,  we  were  made  to  understand  and  feel  that 
we  needed  the  Gospel,  its  guards  and  its  i)rovi8ions, 
for  our  usefulness  and  liappiness,  here  and  hereafter; 
that  we,  especially,  needed  to  have  its  practical  influ- 
ence exerted  upon  us  in  the  season  of  vourh. 

"His  superiority  as  an  expounder  of  biblical  and 
catechetical  recitations,  did  much  to  interest  the 
young  in  Bible  facts,  and  to  pi-oduce  clear  convic- 
tions of  the  truth  of  Bible  doctrines.  In  this  depart- 
ment of  ministerial  labor  he  had  few  equals.  I  can- 
not forbear  to  add  the  testimony  of  my  own  expe- 
rience and  observation  to  the  fact,  that  the  doctrinal 
and  practical  influence  of  these  expositions  was  very 
marked  at  the  time  when  they  were  given,  and  that 
it  will  be  perpetuated  in  the  ministry,  and  in  the 


personal  influence,  and  family  training,  of  many  who 
enjoyed  the  privilege  of  thus  witnessing  the  work- 
ings of  Dr.  Labagh's  mind  in  some  of  his  most  un- 
constrained and  happy  moods. 

"  His  interest  and  labors  in  behalf  of  the  Sabbath 
schools  of  his  charge,  exercised  a  powerful  influence 
on  the  souls  of  the  young.     I  have  thought  that  in 
many  resi:ects  the  Sabbath  schools  of  the  Harlingen 
congregation,   at   the   time   I   was   connected   with 
them,  were  model  schools ;  at  least,  I  have  not  met 
with  their  superiors  in  interest  and  efficiency.     They 
were  the  honor  and  the  blessing  of  the  Church.    The 
pastor  had  very  energetic  helpers  in  the  superinten- 
dents and  teachers ;  but  his  own  labors  were  freely 
expended,  not  only  in  managing  and  directing  the 
schools  in  their  connection,  but  in  laboring  in  each 
of  them  as  he  had  opportunity.   It  was  his  exposition 
of  the  portion  of  divine  truth  contained  in  our  Sab- 
bath school  lesson,  that  was  the  means  of,  I  trust,  my 
own  conversion,  and  that  has  thus  consecrated  Sab- 
bath school  instruction  in  my  eyes  as  a  blessed  in- 
strumentality for  saving  souls. 

'-  He  was  timely  and  earnest  in  his  endeavors  to 
direct  the  attention  of  converted  youth  tow^ard  the 
sacred  ministry.  He  did  not  wait  until  their  souls 
were  congealed  with  worldliness,  or  they  were  fixed 
in  some  secular  position  from  which  they  could  not 


RET.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


245 


honorably  extricate  themselves.  He  came  to  them 
when  their  hearts  were  warm  with  the  fervor  of  their 
first  love,  before  their  plans  of  life  were  fixed,  and 
he  honestly  and  earnestly  endeavored  to  win  the  con- 
sent of  their  souls  to  the  labors,  the  privations,  and 
the  joys  of  the  holy  office.  I  cannot  tell  what 
might  otherwise  have  been  the  workings  of  Provi- 
dence, but  so  far  as  I  now  know,  my  own  heart  and 
life  would  never  have  been  directed  to  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  but  for  his  counsels  and  labors.  Thus  he 
became  not  only  my  spiritual  father,  but  my  father 
in  the  ministry;  and  whatever  good  I  may  be  enabled 
to  accomplish  in  the  world,  must  be  attributed  to  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord  upon  his  efforts  to  train  the  youth 
of  his  charge  for  Christian  usefulness.  I  presume  that 
the  same  thing  is  true  of  a  number  of  other  clergymen. 
"He  was  wise  and  energetic  in  counseling  and 
aiding  them  until  they  had  completed  their  prepa- 
rations for  the  ministry.  Whether  they  depended 
wholly,  or  partially,  or  not  at  all,  upon  the  pecuniary 
assistance  of  others,  he  was  ever  ready  to  assist  them 
with  his  advice.  And  his  plans  were  always  effective 
for  the  aid  of  those  who  needed  assistance.  IN'or  did 
he  allure  them  into  positions  of  difficulty,  and  then 
leave  them  to  struggle  through,  as  best  they  might,  by 
the  aid  of  others,  but  he  was  ready  to  help  them,  and 
work  for  them,  and  protect  them  to  the  end. 


"  He  continued  to  feel  and  manifest  a  personal  in- 
terest in  their  labors  after  their  entrance  into  the 
ministry,  and  he  was  a  valuable  and  able  counselor 
to  them  in  their  pastoral  and  ecclesiastical  difficulties. 
His  natural  strength  and  acuteness  of  mind,  joined 
to  his  long  experience,  rendered  him  not  only  one  of 
the  most  efficient  advocates  to  be  found  on  the  floor 
of  Classis  or  Synod,  by  those  who  were  in  trouble, 
but  also,  what  was  far  better,  one  of  the  safest  ad- 
visers to  those  who  were  desirous  of  avoiding  serious 
difficulty.    I  have  a  letter  lying  before  me,  written 
by  him  after  the  physical  infirmities  of  age  had  be- 
come so  great,  that  he  closes  by  remarking :  '  I  am 
obliged  to  stop,  my  hand  shakes  so  that  I  find  it  very 
difficult  to  write,  and  my  eyes  are  so  dim  that  I  can 
scarcely  read  what  I  have  written ;'  but  the  positions 
and  arguments  of  that  letter  of  solicited  counsel  do 
not  manifest  any  failing  of  the  intellectual  powers. 
They  are  as  clear,  as  logical,  as  thoroughly  founded 
on  principle,  and  as  convincing  as  a  moral  demon- 
stration can  well  be  made. 

"  The  honors  and  ripened  piety  of  his  old  age  have 
been  a  delightful  encouragement  to  those  of  his  chil- 
dren in  the  ministry  who  survive  him,  to  continue 
faithful  unto  the  end.  Daring  liis  retirement  from 
the  active  duties  of  his  office,  he  was  known  and 
revered  throughout  the  bounds  of  our  Church,  while 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,   D.D. 


247 


he  was  becoming  more  and  more  prepared  for  the 
blessedness  of  the  Church  triumphant  in  the  skies. 
The  last  time  I  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  him 
was  on  the  holy  Sabbath,  at  his  own  home.  It  seemed 
to  me  then  that  the  light  of  divine  love  was  shining 
so  brightly  in  his  soul,  that  it  was  beginning  to  beam 
through  and  irradiate  his  whole  countenance.  I  shall 
always  carry  with  me  the  recollection  of  his  face,  in 
that  brief  season  of  Christian  fellowship,  as  the  best 
personification  of  ripeness  for  glory  I  expect  to  meet 
on  this  side  of  the  grave. 

"  But  he  now  rests  from  his  labors.  His  ransomed 
spirit  is  rejoicing  above  in  the  presence  of  the  Saviour, 
and  in  the  company  of  many  of  my  own  loved  ones, 
who  had  been  welcomed  by  him  to  the  Church  below, 
and  then  had  gone  before  to  give  him  a  welcome  to 
the  Church  above. 

"  'Soldier  of  Christ,  well  done! 
Praise  be  thy  new  employ ; 
And  while  eternal  ages  run, 
Rest  in  thy  Saviour's  joy.* " 

While  he  loved  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  with 
a  hearty  affection,  as  the  Church  of  his  fathers,  and 
on  account  of  what  he  believed  to  be  her  eminently 
scriptural  doctrines  and  order,  and  while  he  endea- 
vored to  promote  her  usefulness  and  prosperity  by 
every  honorable  means,  he  yet  cherished  toward  all 


other  Churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  a  truly  ca- 
tholic and  fraternal  spirit.     Most  sincerely  did  he 
bid  them  God  speed  in  the  work  to  which  they  were 
severally  called.     And  when,  as  it  sometimes  hap- 
pened in  the  pleasant  interchange  between  different 
ecclesiastical  bodies  holding  substantially  the  same 
fundamental  truths,  ministers  came  into  the  Church 
from  other  denominations,  he  was  ever  prompt,  as 
opportunity  offered,  to  give  them,  both  in  form  and 
in  reality,  the  right  hand  of  Christian   fellowship. 
Let  him  but  be  assured  that  they  were  sound  in  the 
faith,  and  had  really  at  heart  the  advancement  of 
vital  piety  among  men,  and  he  received  them  with  a 
warm  and  generous  welcome,  which  at  once  made 
them  feel  that  they  were  at  home. 

He  entertained  a  very  cordial  regard  for  the  Pro- 
fessors in  the  CoHege  and  Theological  Seminary  at 
Princeton  ;  and,  living  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
tliat  borough,  had  frequent  opportunities  to  meet 
them.  For  the  Eev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.D.,  one  of 
the  Professors  in  the  Seminary,  he  felt  a  particular 
friendship.  He  frequently  referred,  in  conversations 
with  the  writer,  to  remarks  made  by  that  distin- 
guished man  in  allusion  to  the  mutual  interest 
which  the  Eeformed  Dutch  and  the  Presbyterian 
Churches  should  cherish  in  each  other.  On  one  oc- 
casion Dr.  Miller  made  liim  a  visit,  and  preached  in 


the  church  at  Harlingen.  Among  other  subjects  of 
conversation  which  engaged  their  attention,  was  the 
project  wliich  had  then  but  recently  been  much 
discussed  in  certain  quarters,  to  unite  the  two  Theo- 
logical Seminaries  of  Xew  Brunswick  and  Princeton. 
Dr.  Miller  thought  it  was  better  to  leave  them  as 
they  were ;  and  gave  as  a  reason  for  his  opinion,  that 
"  so  long  as  they  remained  separate,  there  were  two 
fortresses  for  the  defence  of  sound  doctrine,  while,  if 
they  were  united,  there  would  be  but  one:'  Dr. 
Labagh  was  pleased  with  the  remark  as  illustrating 
the  relation  of  the  two  Churches,  and  showing  that 
they  were  laboring  together  for  the  attainment  of  a 
common  object,  the  maintenance  of  scripture  truth 
and  the  enlargement  of  the  kingdom  of  Clirist. 

It  will  be  gratifying  to  the  reader  to  know  that  in 
this  presentation— imperfect,  indeed,  as  it  is— of  Dr. 
Labagh,  in  his  personal  characteristics  and  various 
relations,  the  writer  has  but  expressed  substantially 
tlie  one  opinion  of  all  who,  by  their  intimacy  with 
him  while  living,  are  now  most  competent  to  judge. 
Never  probably  was  it  said  of  any  man  with  greater 
reason,  that  those  who  knew  him  best,  esteemed  and 
loved  him  most.  Li  regard  to  the  less  prominent 
features  of  his  character,  there  will  doubtless  be  in 
this  case,  as  in  all  others,  a  variety  of  impressions. 

One  person  contemplates  him  from  one  point  of  ob- 
11* 


eervation,  and  anotlier  from  another ;  one  in  this 
aspect,  and  another  in  that.  But  in  regard  to  the 
salient  and  distinguishing  traits  which  gave  to  him 
the  stamp  of  individuality,  the  impression  is  clearly 
that  which  it  has  here  been  attempted  to  convey. 

The  following  letter,  in  illustration  of  this  remark, 
will  be  read  with  interest.  It  is  from  the  pen  of  the 
Eev.  Jacob  Van  Yechten,  D.D.,  of  Albany,  author 
of  the  "Memoirs  of  John  M.  Mason, D.D.,"  and  was 
written  by  request : 

"Albany,  December  30th,  1858. 

"Mrs.  Lawrence  Yanderveer: 

"Dear  Madam:  My  own  religious  history  is  very  in- 
timately associated  with  the  pastoral  labors  of  your 
venerated  father.     Many  evangelical  views  of  divine 
truth  were  iirst  opened  up  to  my  apprehension  by  his 
ministrations.  Many  expressions  of  deep  spiritual  piety 
became  familiar  to  me  at  an  early  age  by  hearing  them 
from  his  lips.     When  I  now  look  back,  it  is  evident 
to  me  that  he  liimself  must  have  been  early  taught 
in  the  best  school  of  gospel  truth.     Though  I  waB 
very  young  at  the  time,  I  recollect  the  commence- 
ment of  his  ministry  at  CatskiU,  and  the  baptism  by 
his  hands  of  some  of  my  brothers.     He  was  very 
much  beloved  at  my  lather's  house,  and  he  was  often 
there.     I  have  a  distinct  recollection  of  the  pleasure 
with  which  we  children  were  accustomed  to  see  him 


REV.   PETER   LABAGH,   D.D. 


251 


drive  up  to  the  door,  and  to  open  for  him  the  gates 
in  both  coming  and  going.  The  church  was  three 
miles  distant,  yet  seldom  were  any  of  us  absent.  I 
was  at  first  too  young  to  understand  a  great  deal  of 
the  preaching,  but  his  prayers  had  always  so  much 
humility,  fervor  and  unction,  as  to  impress  every 
one.  His  custom  was  to  catechise  the  young  people 
on  the  Sabbath,  before  the  second  service,  in  presence 
of  the  congregation,  and  at  the  close  of  this  exercise 
to  explain  to  the  assembly  the  doctrine  of  the  'Lord's 
Day'  just  recited  by  the  youngstei's.  I  remember 
my  own  standing  up  with  the  rest  in  the  slips  back 
of  the  deacons'  seat,  and  repeating  the  answers  of 
the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  and  the  satisfaction  with 
which  I  heard  the  commendations  bestowed  upon 
*  one  so  young.'  Early  associations  of  this  nature 
with  a  cliurch  edifice,  I  feel  persuaded,  are  of  great 
importance  to  children.  Many  years  will  the  sounds 
which  were  heard  there  linger  within  those  sacred 
walls  for  the  benefit  of  impressible  hearts;  and  even 
to  old  age  their  fruits  w^ill  not  be  lost.  Afterwards 
your  father  was  more  in  the  habit  of  having  his  cate- 
chetical exercises  on  week  days,  through  different 
districts  of  the  parish,  but  my  recollections  of  the 
former  are  the  most  vivid. 

"  His  removal  to  'New  Jersey  was  felt  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Catskill  as  a  great  loss.    After  that  change  I 


252 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


saw  liim  but  occasionally,  but  never  without  heart- 
felt satisfaction.     On  one  of  these  occasions,  I  think 
in  1810  or  1811,  I  accompanied  him,  together  with 
the  Eev.  Mr.  Smith,  of  Shannock,  and  Capt.  Samuel 
Beekman,  of  Harlingen,  in  a  private  conveyance  to 
Philadelphia.    Tlie  trip  must  have  taken  the  greater 
part  of  a  week.     During  that  time,  more  than  ever 
before,  I  witnessed  and  enjoyed  his  power  to  enter- 
tain his  friends  with  delightful  pleasantry  and  inte- 
resting conversation.     He  kept  us  all  in  the  happiest 
mood,  and  old  Mr.  Smith,  who  was  naturally  a  very 
grave  and  serious  man,  thought  he  had  never  laughed 
so  much  as  in  tliat  journey,  both  to  and  fro.     Your 
father's  fund  of  wit  and  humor  seemed  inexhaustible, 
yet  not  inconsistent  with  the  most  profound  and  set- 
tled feelings  of  solid  piety. 

«'  On  another  occasion,  as  he  delighted  to  give  play 
to  his  natural  pleasantry  among  his  intimate  friends, 
and  sometimes  at  their  expense,  he  was  in  company 
with  a  brother  minister,  who  had  been  a  fellow  stu- 
dent, and  with  whom  he  had  always  been  on  familiar 
terras.  The  conversation  happened  to  turn  on  poli- 
tics. This  clerical  brother  had,  at  the  time  of  their 
early  acquaintance,  been  a  zealous  Democrat;  after- 
wards he  became  a  strong  Federalist ;  and  now  again 
was  very  warm  on  his  first  platform.  As  on  this  oc- 
casion he  very. warmly  advocated  the  views   of  his 


REV.   PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


253 


latest  party,  Mr.  Labagh  reminded  him  of  the 
changes  through  which  he  had  passed  since  his 
young  days.  '  Oh  !'  said  he,  '  wlien  I  was  a  child,  I 
spake  as  a  child,  and  thought  as  a  child ;  but  since  I 
became  a  man,  I  have  put  away  childish  things.' 
'Then,'  said  Mr.  Labagh,  as  quick  as  a  flash,  *  we  must 
infer  that  you  have  now  returned  to  your  second  child- 
hood.'   The  effect  upon  the  company  was  irresistible. 

"But  a  few  years  ago  I  met  him  at  a  social 
meeting  in  Kingston,  Xew  York.  The  lady  of  the 
house  was  a  very  agreeable  widow  of  middle  life. 
In  his  usual  vein  of  good  humor,  he  alluded  to  her 
circumstances  in  connection  with  those  of  a  certain 
ex-president,  on  whom  a  good  deal  of  the  previous 
conversation  had  turned.  'Well,'  said  he,  'lolti- 
ciated  at  that  gentleman's  first  espousals,'  then,  turn- 
ing with  an  arch  look  of  inexpressible  meaning  to  the 
widow,  he  continued,  '  and  I  should  have  no  objection 
to  ofiiciate  at  the  second.'  The  efiect  upon  all  in  the 
room.was  that  of  the  most  charming  pleasantry. 

"I  have  witnessed  many  other  instances  of  quick 
turns  by  which  he  could  enliven  a  whole  company ; 
but  such  things  always  lose  immensely  by  being  nar- 
rated afterwards,  because  many  of  the  circumstances 
of  the  passing  scene  cannot  be  transferred  to  any 
narrative. 

"  With  regard  to  graver  matters,  I  wish  to  say  that. 


254 


MEMOIB    OF    THE 


according  to  my  impressions,  his  views  of  church 
policy  were  at  once  liberal  and  solid.     With  strong 
national  feelings,  he  yet  could  not  close  his  eyes  to 
the  truth  and  excellence  which  were  to  be  found 
among  persons  of  a  different  race.     Though  Dutch 
by  both  birth  and  education,  he  had  candor  and  dis- 
cernment enough  to  perceive  and  acknowledge  the 
mental  acuteness  and  discrimination,  the  activity,  the 
enterprise,  the  economy  and  the  practical  bearings 
of  Kew  England  Christians.     lu  1820,  when  our 
Church  was  much  agitated  with  certain  persecutions 
against  the  Kev.  Mr.  C.  Ten  Eyck,  for  alleged  Hop- 
kinsianism,  and  though  the  implicated  individual  was 
no  particular  favorite,  yet  he  could  not  but  exert  him- 
self to  stem  the  tide  of  narrow  bigotry  which  in  cer- 
tain quarters  was  at  that  time  raging.     He  boldly  de_ 
clared  at  the  General  Synod  that  ministers — none  of 
whom  he  named — who  a  few  years  before  had  been 
decried  as  Hopkinsians,   were  now  univereally  ac- 
knowledged as  among  the  most  evangelical  and  useful 
ministers  of  the  land. 

''  At  a  still  later  day,  when  a  trouble  had  been 
most  wantonly  created  in  the  Classis  of  Orange,  he 
took  a  most  decided  stand  against  the  persecuting 
party.  I  heard  him  say,  as  nearly  as  I  can  recollect : 
'  I  have  on  other  occasions  come  to  the  Synod  with 
feelings  of  anxiety  and  grief  for  the  unnecessary  dif- 


KEV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


255 


Acuities  caused  by  bretliren,  but  at  this  time  I  have 
come  with  those  of  anger.' 

"  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  he  was  indifferent 
respecting  essential  truth,  or  that  he  had  lost  his  at- 
tachment to  the  system  in  which  he  had  been  brought 
up,  but  he  had  sense  enough  to  distinguish  between 
the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  and  philoso- 
phical theories  for  explaining  them. 

"  His  preaching  was  eminently  practical  and  very 
seldom  controversial,  yet  his  argumentative  powers 
were  remarkably  strong  and  ready.  He  was  not  a 
great  readei-,  but  a  very  clear  thinker.  Experimen- 
tal piety  he  loved,  and  he  was  always  delighted  to 
hear  it  in  the  pulpit.  His  prayers  had  always  an  un- 
usual unction  from  tliis  spirit.  In  asking  a  blessing 
at  the  table,  I  never  heard  any  person  more  feeling, 
solemn  and  impressive.  At  family  worship  I  thought 
him  peculiarly  gifted.  I  remember  to  have  heard  my 
mother  express  her  admiration  of  the  prayers  which 
she  had  heard  while  he  was  boarding  at  my  fathers 
house. 

*'  He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  honest 
convictions.  He  could  not  bear  duplicity  or  fraud  in 
any  department  of  human  life.  In  politics  he  was 
well  informed,  and  always  acted  from  principle.  He 
considered  none  more  dangerous  in  the  community, 
than  those  men  who  flatter  the  people,  in  order  that 


256 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


tliej  themselves  may  rise  and  triumph  on  the  popiUar 
wave.  He  was  a  great  friend  of  the  Dutch  Church, 
as  is  very  abundantly  proved  by  his  exertions  in  be- 
half of  the  Theological  School  at  Xew  Brunswick. 
Yet  had  he  expansive  feelings  in  behalf  of  other  de- 
nominations, which  promoted  pure  religion  at  home 
and  lal)ored  to  spread  it  abroad.  With  such  he  was 
always  willing  to  cooperate.  In  some  departments 
of  labor  he  thought  it  better  for  our  Church  to  unite 
with  others  than  to  remain  separate. 

"  With  the  most  sincere  esteem, 

"Your  friend, 

'•  Jacob  Yan  Yechten." 

It  is  a  striking  evidence  of  the  uniform  impression 
which  Dr.  Labagh  made  upon  all  who  mingled  much 
in  his  society,  that,  in  answer  to  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  inquiries,  some  proposed  verbally  and  some  by 
letter,  in  regard  to  his  individual  traits,  the  answers, 
in  every  principal  point,  luive  been  invariably  tlie 
same.  Xot,  indeed,  in  their  rehitive  minuteness  of 
statement,  or  in  the  incidents  adduced  for  the  pur- 
pose of  illustration ;  but  in  their  general  t^cope  and 
meaning,  so  tar  as  they  go,  clearly  the  same,  and  con- 
sequently a  mutual  confirmation  of  each  other."^    The 

*Iti8  but  just  to  state,  that  llie  few  cases  of   coincidence  of 
thought,  and,  in  oiie  or  two  instances,  almost  of  expression,  in  the 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,   D.D. 


257 


letter  already  submitted,  furnishes  a  portrait  of  Dr. 
Labagh,  as  he  ap23eared  in  his  youth  and  manhood. 
The  following,  written  by  the  late  pastor  of  the  Ee- 
formed  Dutch  Church  on  Brooklyn  Heights,  the  Eev. 
George  W.  Bethune,  D.D.,  no  less  distinguished  for 
his  eloquence  than  his  learning,  furnishes  a  portrait 
of  Dr.  Labagh,  as  he  appeared  in  his  old  age : 

"  Of  father  Labagh's  early  or  even  his  riper  years, 
I  know  little,  and  that  little  only  by  hearsay — the 
grateful  unanimous  testimony  of  all  who  had  the 
privilege  of  association  with  him,  to  his  devotional 
spirit,  fidelity,  sagacity,  and  consistent  virtues  as  a 
man,  a  Christian,  and  a  minister.  If  there  were  any 
disposed  to  accuse  him  of  wrong,  it  has  been  my  hap- 
piness never  to  hear  of  it. 

"  My  acquaintance  with  him  began  when  the  in- 
firmities of  age  taught  him  the  necessity  of  relief 
from  the  more  weighty  duties  of  his  pastoral  ofiice, 
and  when  liis  sun,  declining  to  the  west,  led  him  to 
contemplate  a  no  distant  translation  to  heavenly  rest. 

"I  call  \\\vc\  father  Labagli,  for  by  that  affectionate 

writer's  attempted  delineation  of  Dr.  Labagh's  character,  and  in 
the  contributions  to  the  same  purpose  by  the  eminent  persons  whose 
names  they  bear,  were  entirely  accidental.  They  were  not  known 
to  have  occurred,  until  discovered  by  a  careful  examination,  after 
the  completion  of  the  Memoir. 


name  all  the  members  of  our  Classie,  much  younger 
than  he,  were  accustomed  to  greet  and  address  him. 
He  was  our  father^  to  whom  we  gladly  yielded  the 
place  of  superior  authority,  whose  counsel  was  at 
once  sought  and  very  seldom,  if  ever,  overborne,  in 
every  question  of  disputed  doctrine,  method  of  busi- 
ness, or  ecclesiastical  policy.  His  prayers,  occasional 
exhortations  and  inforuuil  talks,  had  for  us  the  unc- 
tion and  pleasant  autliority  of  the  aged  disciple 
among  his  '  little  children.'  He  resembled  in  our 
minds  the  Apostle  of  love,  not  only  in  the  kindness  of 
his  speech,  but  also  in  the  searching  casuistry  which 
he  had  acquired  from  long  experience  of  a  Christian 
and  ministerial  life.  Never  arrogant  or  severe,  but 
ever  direct  and  faithful ;  never  assuming  but  ever 
thankful  for  our  ready  deference,  he  could  not  avoid 
being  conscious  of  the  rank  we  assigned  him  in  our 
fellowship ;  yet  he  ever  treated  the  youngest  and 
weakest  of  us  with  the  respect  and  sympathy  of  true 
Cliristian  friendship. 

"It  was  this  character  that  drew  me  to  him  with 
a  love  and  veneration  which  increased  with  every 
opportunity  I  had  of  enjoying  his  society.  Perhaps 
this  very  manifest  regard  for  him  inclined  him  to 
think  kindlv  of  me,  for  he  alwavs  treated  me  so  as 
to  make  the  hours  I  passed  in  his  company  very 
pleasant  and  profitable  then,  and  the  recollection  of 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


259 


them  will  be  cherished  while  my  memory  lasts.  His 
immediate  family  know  the  aifectionate  right  I  have 
to  speak 'thus  of  our  relations  to  each  other.  It  is 
with  a  filial  hand  that  I  cast  my  sincere  tribute  on 
his  sacred  grave. 

"Father  Labagh's  learning  or  general  reading, 
though  respectable,  was  not  extensive,  but  he  was 
always  well-informed  on  subjects  of  interest,  and  as  a 
theologian  he  was  thoroughly  systematic  and  emi- 
nently sound.  This  was  seen  in  his  doctrinal  examin- 
ation of  candidates  for  licensure  (an  office  always 
assigned  him  in  our  Classis),  when,  without  book  or 
memoranda,  he  would  take  up  the  scheme  of  evan- 
gelical doctrine,  and  pursue  it  for  hours,  not  failing 
in  a  definition  or  missing  a  point.  But  he  was  not  a 
bigot,  or  disposed  to  measure  his  Christian  brethren 
of  other  sects  by  his  own  bushel,  though  sometimes 
impatient  of  those  in  our  own  Church  who  deviated 
from  the  standard  they  had  professed  to  hold.  His 
honesty  and  fidelity  could  not  regard  such  deviation 
as  undeserving  of  censure. 

"  His  imagination,  whatever  it  may  have  been  in 
his  younger  years,  was  not  predominant,  but  his 
apprehension  was  quick  and  his  conception  ready. 
Mere  graces  of  oratory  he  probably  never  had,  but 
there  was  a  naturalness,  frankness,  directness  and 
fervor  in  his  thought  and  language,  that  made  him 


260 


MEMOIR   OF   THE 


impressive  and  influential.     His  hearers  knew  what 
he  meant,  and  were  sure  he  meant  what  he  said. 

"  He  had  a  keen  sense  of  the  hidicrous,  and  often 
showed  it  in  pointed,  epigrammatic  sayings,  and  even 
in  sarcasm,  the  sharpness  of  which  was  relieved  by 
his  good  humor.  He  never  shrunk  from  the  duty  of 
rebuke,  which  none  who  received  it  had  a  right  to  be 
otherwise  than  thankful  for.  He  read  character  with 
instinctive  skill,  and  was  shrewd  enough  to  avail 
himself  of  every  advantage  in  an  honorable  strife ; 
nor  was  he  disingenuous  enough  to  conceal  his  plea- 
sure in  a  fair  victory. 

"Tlie  special  grace  of  his  disposition  was  its  un- 
fading youthfulness.  "Wherever  he  grew  old,  it  was 
not  in  his  heart.  Tlie  generosity  which  moved  him  to 
forget  himself  or  his  personal  power  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  Church,  so  clearly  shown  in  his  zeal  for 
the  upbuilding  of  new  congregations  within  his  pa- 
rochial territory,  was  not  lessened  but  increased  by 
age.  Though  conscientiously  conservative  of  the 
old  land-marks,  and  firm  as  a  rock  against  unscrip- 
tural  and  superficial  novelties,  however  popular,  he 
gladly  availed  himself  of  every  genuine  discovery 
in  the  application  of  means  for  the  promotion  of  edu- 
cation, moral  and  religious.  He  was  always  on  the 
side  of  true  progress,  never  fearful  of  enterprise  or 
enlargement;  but,  on  the  contrary,  ready,  even  eager 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,    D.D. 


261 


to  give  his  aid  and  advocacy  to  whatever  promised 
increase  of  usefulness.  He  grew  neither  dull,  morose 
nor  pragmatical,  but  was  cheerful  as  morning,  loving 
the  sunshine  rather  than  the  shade,  and  sympathetic 
with  the  happiness  of  others,  fully  appreciating  the 
wisdom  of  the  inspired  maxim,  that  *''  a  merry  heart 
doeth  good  like  a  medicine."  Frugal,  temperate, 
and  self-regulated,  he  was  as  free  from  asceticism  as 
he  was  from  world-worship.  Young  people  never  felt 
his  ])re8ence  an  unwelcome  restraint,  and  conversa- 
tion was  enlivened  by  his  sprightly  reminiscences 
and  witty  pleasantries. 

''If  he  had  an  anxiety,  as  age  grew  upon  him,  it  was 
that  he  should  lose  this  blessing  of  a  happy  temper, 
and  torpor  of  mind  or  physical  infirmity  unfit  him 
for  active  service.  On  my  remonstraling  with  him, 
one  day,  foi*  his  undertaking  the  labor  of  collecting 
funds  in  aid  of  Rutgers  College,  a  task  which  he 
might  have  been  spared,  he  answered  me,  that  he 
thought  he  could  yet  do  something  for  the  institution 
he  loved  so  well,  and  that  he  was  also  anxious  to  do 
himself  good,  as  he  observed  that  imbecility  came 
sooner  on  those  people  who  gave  up  active  ex- 
ertion, and  he  was  anxious  never  to  be  a  burden, 
even  upon  those  most  ready  to  minister  to  his 
comfort.  Dear  old  man !  his  heart  and  flesh  did 
fail  toward  the  close  of  his  venerable  life,  but  God 


262 


MEMOIR   OF  THE 


was  the  Btreiigtli  of  his  heart,  and  is  now  his  *  portion 

forever.' 

"  Such  is  my  estimation  of  his  character  and  spirit. 
I  had  not  many  opportunities  of  being  with  him,  and 
now  regret  that  I  did  not  make  for  myself  more,  but 
am  thankful  that  he  knew,  as  God  knows,  that  I  lored 
him  very  much.     Doubtless  he  made  errors  and  had 
faults,  but  it  was  not  my  lot  to  find  out  what  they 
were.     It  is  not  painful  to  think  that  he  is  dead,  for 
it  was  time  for  the  sleep  of  his  wearied  frame ;  but  it 
is  joyful  to  know  that  he  lives  with  God,  and  is  be- 
holding the  glory  of  the  Master  whom  he  delighted 
to  serve.     God  grant  us  to  see  him  again,  where  the 
eye  is  never  dim,  and  '  the  sun  never  goes  down !' 

"George  W.  Bethune. 

"Brooklyn,  Jauuary  8,  1859." 

Such  was  Pkter  Labagh.  His  life,  labors  and 
character  are  before  the  reader.  He  has  followed 
him,  through  his  long  pilgrinuige  of  more  than  four 
score  years,  from  tlie  cradle  to  the  tomb.  '^The  dust 
has  at  length  returned  to  the  earth  as  it  was:  and  the 
spirit  has  returned  unto  God  who  gave  it."  But  to  all 
who  knew  him,  and  to  all  who  shall  read  these  pages, 
there  is  a  voice  that  speaks  from  his  example  on 
earth,  and  from  his  reward  in  heaven,  and  reiterates 
the  cheering  but  solemn  words  of  the  prophet :  "  They 


REV.    PETER   LABAGH,  D.D. 


263 


that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  fir- 
mament, and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness, 
as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 

The  writer's  task  is  done.  And  he  knows  not  in 
what  terms  more  appropriate  to  close  this  humble 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  an  honored  servant  of 
Christ,  than  those  in  which  the  friend  and  chaplain 
of  Bishop  Home  concludes  the  preface  to  his  me- 
moir :  ''  I  have  heard  it  said,  and  I  was  a  little  dis- 
couraged by  it,  that  he  was  a  person  whose  life  was 
not  productive  of  events  considerable  enough  to  fur- 
nish matter  for  a  history.  But  they  who  judge  thus, 
have  taken  but  a  superficial  view  of  human  life,  and 
do  not  rightly  measure  tlie  importance  of  the  differ- 
ent events  which  happen  to  different  sorts  of  men. 
He  was,  I  must  allow,  no  circumnavigator ;  he  nei- 
ther sailed  with  Drake,  Anson,  nor  Cooke ;  but  he 
was  a  man  whose  mind  surveved  the  intellectual 
world,  and  brought  home  from  thence  many  excel- 
lent observations  for  the  benefit  of  his  native  country. 
He  was  no  military  commander ;  he  took  no  cities; 
he  conquered  no  countries ;  but  he  spent  his  life  in 
subduing  his  passions,  and  in  teaching  us  how  to  do 
the  same.  He  fought  no  battles  by  land  or  by  sea ; 
but  he  opposed  the  enemies  of  God  and  his  truth,  and 
obtained  some  victories  which  are  worthy  to  be  re- 
corded.    He  was  no  prime  minister  to  any  earthly 


potentate;   but  he  was  a  minister  to   the   King  of 
heaven   and   earth ;   an  office  at  least  as  useful  to 
mankind,  and  in  the  administration  of  which  no  min- 
ister to  any  earthly  king  ever  exceeded  him  in  zeal 
and  lidelity.     He  made  no  splendid  discoveries  in 
natural  history;  but  he  did  what  was  better;  he  ap- 
plied   universal    nature  to  the  improvement  of  the 
mind  and  the  illustration  of  heavenly  doctrines.     I 
call  these  events :  not  such  as  make  a  great  noise  and 
signify  little,  but  such  as  are  little  celebrated,  and  of 
jrreat   siornification.     The   same   difference  is  found 
between  him  and  some  other  men  who  have  been  the 
subject  of  history,  as  between  the  life  of  the  bee  and 
that  of  the  wasp  or  hornet.     The  latter  may  boast  of 
their  encroachments   and   depredations,   and   value 
themselves  on  being  a  plague  and  a  terror  to  man- 
kind.    But  let  it  rather  be  my  amusement  to  follow 
and  observe  the  motions  of  the  bee.     Her  journeys 
are  always  pleasant;  the  objects  of  her  attention  are 
beautiful  to  the  eye,  and  she  passes  none  of  them 
over  without  examining  what  is  to  be  extracted  from 
them ;  her  workmanship  is  admirable ;  her  economy 
is  a  lesson  of  wisdom  to  the  world ;  she  may  be  ac- 
counted '  little  among  them  that  fly,'  but  the  fruit  of 
her  labor  is  the  '  chief  of  sweet  things.' " 


REV.    PETER  LABAGH,   D.D. 


265 


12 


"  The  good  old  man  is  gone ! 
He  lies  in  his  saintly  rest, 

And  his  labors  all  are  done 
And  the  work  that  he  loved  the  best 

The  good  old  man  is  gone  — 
But  the  dead  in  the  Lord  are  blessed  I 

I  stood  in  the  holy  aisle, 
"When  he  spake  the  solemn  word. 

That  bound  him,  through  care  and  toil, 
The  servant  of  the  Lord : 

And  I  saw  how  the  depths  of  his  manly  soul 
By  that  sacred  vow  were  stirred. 

And  nobly  his  pledge  he  kept  — 
For  the  truth  he  stood  up  alone. 

And  his  spirit  never  slept, 
And  his  march  was  ever  on  ! 

Oh  !  deeply  and  long  shall  his  loss  be  wept, 
The  brave  old  man  that 's  gone. 

The  wise  old  man  is  gone  I 
His  honored  head  lies  low. 

And  his  thoughts  of  power  are  done. 
And  his  voice's  manly  flow. 

And  the  pen,  that  for  truth  like  a  sword  was  drawn, 
Is  still  and  soulless  now. 

The  good  old  man  is  gone  I 
He  is  gone  to  his  saintly  rest, 

Where  no  sorrow  can  be  known. 
And  no  trouble  can  molest : 

For  his  crown  of  immortal  life  is  won, 
And  the  dead  in  Christ  are  blessed  !  " 


I' 

1: 


a»"Tt"""rfT!l"-S^ 


APPENDIX  A. 

Correspondence  witu  the  Synod  of  the  German  Reformed  Cuurch. 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  on  page  6Y  of  the  Memoir,  to 
the  action  of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  at 
its  annual  session  held  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in  June,  1853, 
discontinuing  its  correspondence  with  the  Synod  of  the  German 
Reformed  Church,  and  to  the  grounds  upon  which  it  was  based. 
Similar  action  in  regard  to  its  own  correspondence  with  the  Ger- 
man Synod  was  taken  on  similar  grounds  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Tresbyterian  Church,  Old  School,  at  its  annual  session,  held 
in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  in  Maj^  1854.  In  the  proceedings  of  the 
last  named  body,  as  reported  in  The  Presbyterian  of  June  3,  1854, 
we  find  the  folio  wins:: 

"  The  committee  to  nominate  delegates  to  foreign  bodies,  re- 
ported the  following  in  reference  to  corresponding  with  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  Church : 

"  Hesolved,  That  without  intending  hereby  to  deny,  as  a  general 
principle  governing  their  sister  Churches,  that  their  formally 
acknowledged  creeds  and  sj-mbols  of  faith  are  to  be  taken  as  the  true 
representatives  of  the  doctrinal  views  of  the  ministers  and  people  of 
any  Church,  in  the  official  action  of  this  Assembly  in  relation  to  them; 
yet,  in  view  of  the  peculiar  position  of  the  General  Synod  of  the 
German  Reformed  Church  towards  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Mer- 
cersburg,  whose  professors  have  so  notoriously  become  antagonistic 


to  Protestantirm,  and  lest  a  continuance  of  our  correspondence 
might  be  understood  as  countenancing  the  fundamental  errors  which 
they  are  laboring  to  disseminate,  and  lest  we  be  regarded  as  disap- 
proving the  course  of  those  in  that  communion  who  have  so  nobly 
contended  against  them,  a  respectable  number  of  whom  w^e  learn 
have  wholly  withdrawn  from  the  (General  Synod  on  account  of  the 
alarming  prevalence  of  these  errors  in  that  body ;  therefore,  the 
General  Assembly  will  suspend  its  correspondence  with  the  General 
Synod  of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  and  decline  sending  a 
delegate  to  that  body. 

"  So  much  of  the  report  as  refers  to  the  nomination  of  delegates, 
was  adopted,  and  the  resolution  in  reference  to  the  German  Re- 
formed Church  was  put  upon  the  docket." 

"When  it  is  considered,  on  the  one  hand,  that  the  General  Synod 
of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  took  the  initiative  in  the  serious 
and  responsible  action,  by  which  the  bonds  of  ecclesiastical  fellow- 
ship between  sister  churches  were  dissolved  ;  and,  on  the  other,  that 
the  German  Reformed  Church,  if  miryudged  and  misrepresented  in 
regard  to  the  doctrines  and  spirit  which  she  really  maintained  and 
cherished,  was  held  up  before  the  Christian  world  to  unmerited  con- 
demnation and  reproach  ;  it  will  at  once  be  seen  that  the  obliga- 
tions of  simple  justice  demand  that  both  sides  should  have  a  full 
and  candid  hearing.  Without  venturing  to  express  an  opinion 
npon  the  merits  of  the  controversy,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  we 
desire  therefore  only  to  refer  the  reader  to  the  subjoined  docutoents 
containing  the  official  action,  respectively,  of  the  General  Synod  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  and  of  the  Synod  of  the  German 
Reformed  Church. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  in  Thiladelphia,  in  June,  1853,  the  committee  on  corres- 
pondence, consisting  of  the  Rev.  Thos.  M.  Strong,  D.D.,  and  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Theodore  F.  Wyckoff,  and  James  H.  M.  Knox,  and  the  elders. 


Samuel  Groves  and  Clarkson  F.  Crosby,  presented  their  report, 
which  was  accepted  and  unanimously  adopted.  So  far  as  it  relates 
to  the  Synod  of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  it  is  in  the  following 
words: 

"  From  the  Minutes  of  the  Synod  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church,  your  committee  learn  that  that  branch  of  the  visible  king- 
dom of  Christ  are  engaged  with  becoming  interest  to  advance  the 
various  causes  of  benevolence  and  of  religious  progress.  While  a 
goodly  number  of  students  are  in  attendance  upon  their  Theological 
Seminary,  a  new  location  lias  been  obtained  for  their  literary  Col- 
lege, which  has  commenced  its  operations  with  flattering  prospects. 
A  spirit  of  liberality  in  promoting  the  great  causes  of  missions  and 
education  is  manifested,  and  seems  to  be  increasing  among  their 
people. 

"  It  appears,  liowever,  from  the  report  of  a  committee  to  whom 
was  referred  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church,  that  they  feel  aggrieved  at  the  report  presented  by 
the  delegates  from  this  Synod  to  the  meeting  of  their  Synod  held 
in  the  month  of  October,  1851,  and  by  the  action  of  the  General 
Synod  thereon.  The  committee  declare  that,  'with  a  single  ex- 
ception,' the  report  of  our  delegates  *  does  not  contain  a  single 
statement  in  accordance  with  actual  facts.'  This  is  a  very  grave 
and  sweeping  charge.  An  attempt  is  made  to  sustain  it  by  quite  a 
long  course  of  remark.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  reply  of  the 
delegates  from  this  Synod,  they  reiterate  the  main  facts  as  contained 
in  their  report  to  the  Synod,  and  affirm  them  to  be  true  ;  while  they 
adduce  evidence  to  show  that  they  could  not  have  been  mistaken 
in  relation  thereto.  Your  committee  do  not  feel  themselves  obliged 
to  enter  upon  any  enlarged  statement  or  inquiry  into  the  matters 
of  alleged  difference  in  this  case.  They  cannot,  however,  but  think 
that,  while  the  brethren  of  the  German  Reformed  Synod  regard  the 
General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  in  their  action  on 


' 


270 


APPENDIX    A. 


the  report  of  their  delegates,  as  '  violating  the  principles  of  Chris- 
tian courtesy  and  charity,'  the  expressions  and  implications  con- 
tained in  the  report  of  their  own  committee,  adopted  by  them,  are 
a  far  greater  violation  of  these  *  principles.'  The  Synod  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church,  oy  their  appointment  of  these  delegates 
and  by  their  action  on  their  report,  have  shown  their  entire  confi- 
dence in  the  integrity  of  these  brethren,  and  your  committee  have 
seen  nothing  calculated  in  any  degree  to  weaken  this  confidence, 
either  in  their  character  or  statements  of  facts.  If,  however,  as  it 
now  appears,  the  plan  of  correspondence  between  the  two  Churches 
as  now  maintained  may  be  the  occasion  of  offense — may  infringe 
iipon  the  'principles  of  Christian  courtesy,' and  tend  in  some  de- 
gree to  alienate  brethren  from  each  other  (an  issue  entirely  at 
variance  with  the  spirit  and  design  of  such  correspondence),  it  may 
be  advisable  to  suspend,  if  not  abandon  it. 

"  But,  in  the  providence  of  God,  there  is  a  still  higher  cause  for 
the  adoption  of  such  a  course.  Tlie  Synod  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church  complain  of  the  action  of  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,  inasmuch  as  it  contains  an  intimation  that 
they  have  departed  from  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints. 
The  particular  points  referred  to  are  those  which  may  be  character- 
ized as  having  a  Romanizing  tendency.  It  is  known  by  all  who  are 
conversant  with  the  events  of  the  day,  that  certain  most  objection- 
able and  erroneous  doctrines  and  sentiments  have  been  advocated 
and  propagated  by  the  professors  of  the  Tlieological  Seminary, 
and  by  certain  other  prominent  ministers  and  members  of  that 
Church,  as  well  as  by  the  accredited  organ  of  the  Synod.  These 
sentiments  relate  to  the  great  cardinal  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith  through  the  imputed  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
to  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice— tlie  right  of  private  judg- 
ment, the  nature  and  efficacy  of  the  sacraments,  the  authority  of 
the  Church,  and  other  doctrines  of  a  kindred  character.     These 


APPENDIX    A. 


271 


!l 


sentiments  are  most  palpably  Romanizing  in  their  nature  and  ten- 
dency :  and  accordingly,  they  have  been  approved  by  the  organs 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  the  authors  of  them  commended 
and  encouraged  to  go  on  in  their  progress;  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  they  have  been  condemned  in  the  strongest  language  by  the 
religious  press  of  almost,  if  not  quite  all,  the  other  Protestant 
Churches  in  our  land.  They  have  been  regarded  by  all  who  hold 
to  the  'old  paths'  as  essential  departures  from  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  tlie  saints.  And  yet  your  committee  are  not  aware  that 
the  individuals  who  have  advocated  these  Romanistic  and  danger- 
ous sentiments  have  been  called  to  account  by  the  authorities  of 
the  German  Reformed  Church,  or  that  the  sentiments  themselves 
have  been  repudiated  or  formally  condemned  in  an  open,  decided 
and  unequivocal  manner,  by  the  Synod  of  the  Church.  This 
amounts  to  a  tacit  connivance  with,  if  not  a  virtual  approval  of, 
these  erroneous  views — views  which  strike  at  the  vitality  of  the 
truth  as  maintained  b}"  the  Protestant  Church ;  for  their  attachment 
to  which  the  Reformers  came  out  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  in 
the  defence  of  which  they  so  faithfully  and  zealously  labored.  Ad- 
lierence  to  the  truths  assailed  by  the  views  to  which  we  have  re- 
ferred, has  ever  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  characteristics  of 
the  Protestant  Church.  But  in  this  age,  when  the  Church  of  Rome 
is  making  such  vigorous  and  concerted  efforts  to  spread  the  doc- 
trines of  her  corrupt  communion;  when  many  have  been  perverted 
thereby,  and  some  individuals  of  distinction  from  the  ranks  of  Pro- 
testantisim  have  connected  themselves  with  that  Church  ;  and  when 
80  much  anxiety  is  very  justly  felt  by  the  friends  of  evangelical 
truth  in  relation  to  these  matters ;  it  is  the  duty  of  the  several 
branches  of  the  Protestant  Church  who  still  hold  to  the  peculiar 
doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  to  protest  in  the  strongest  manner 
against  any  and  every  sentiment  which  favors  the  views  and  de- 
signs of  Rome.     And  certainly  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  which 


272 


APPENDIX    A. 


Las  always  stood  among  the  foremost  and  firmest  of  the  advocates 
of  truth,  should  not  be  backward  or  mild  in  their  protest  against 
such  doctrines.  Nay,  your  committee  believe  that  the  time  has 
come,  in  the  providence  of  God,  when  they  should  not  do  any  thing 
that  miglit  have  the  aspect  in  anj-  way  of  countenancing  in  the  re- 
motest degree  the  fatal  errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  And  even 
if,  in  their  action  in  this  matter,  they  should  lay  themselves  open  to 
a  charge  of  'violating  the  principles  of  Christian  charity,'  still  they 
should  not  hesitate  to  pursue  this  course.  The  interests  of  truth 
and  the  honor  of  the  Master  are  far  more  important  than  what 
might  by  some  be  regarded  as  the  courtesies  of  Christian  charity. 
The  Apostle  tells  us  that,  while  'charity  suffereth  long  and  is  kind,* 
yet  'it  rejoiceth  not  in  ini«|uity,  but  rejoiceth  in  the  truth.' 

"  In  view  of  the  whole  circumstances  in  which,  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  the  Synod  are  now  placed,  your  committee  recom- 
mend the  adoption  of  the  following  resolutions: 

**1.  Resolved,  Tliat  this  Synod  entertain  unabated  confidence 
in  the  integrity  and  truthfulness  of  the  delegates  who  were  ap- 
pointed to  attend  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  wliich  was  held  in  the  month  of  October,  1851,  and 
cannot  believe  that  they  could  be  guilty  of  making  any  intentional 
misstatements  of  facts  in  the  report  of  their  attendance  upon  the 
S5'nod  of  the  German  Reformed  Church. 

"  2.  Resolved,  ThatthisSynod  feel  themselves  called  upon,  as  rep" 
resenting  one  of  the  branches  of  the  great  Protestant  family,  to 
maintain  unflinchingly  and  firmly  the  entire  faith  once  delivered  to 
the  saints,  and  to  avoid  the  doing  of  any  thing  which  may  actually 
or  by  implication  give  the  sanction  of  their  name  to  any  of  the  er- 
roneous doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  or  any  sentiments  which 
may  in  any  way  favor  the  corrupt  tenets  of  the  Mother  of  Abomi- 
natiors. 

"  3.  Resolved,  That  this   Synod  do  hereby  express,  in  the  most 


! 


M 


APPENDIX    A. 


273 


deci<led  and  unequivocal  manner,  their  protest  agauist  all  those  senti- 
ments of  a  Romanizing  character  and  tendency,  which  are  techni- 
cally known  as  the  'Mercersburg  Theology,'  as  being  essential 
departures  from  the  faitli,  as  calculated  to  lead  yet  farther  astray 
from  the  old  landmarks  of  the  truth,  and  to  undermine  the  great 
principles  of  the  Reformation  from  Po]>ery. 

"4.  Resolved,  That,  inasmuch  as  the  correspondence  with  the 
German  Refonned  Church  has  been  the  occasion,  in  the  opinion  of 
that  body,  of  '  violating  the  principles  of  Christian  courtesy  and 
charity,"  and  as  the  continuance  of  the  same  may  be  regarded  as 
lending  the  sanction  of  this  Syno<l  to  sentiments  and  "doctrines 
which  are  favorable  to  the  corrupt  views  of  the  Church  of  Rome, 
which  are  advocated  by  many  persons  of  distinguished  character  in 
the  German  Reformed  Church,  and  have  not  been  repudiated  by 
the  authorities  of  said  Church;  and  as  an  expression  of  the  decided 
disapprobation  on  the  part  of  this  Synod  of  any  such  views  and 
sentiments,  and  a  strong  protest  against  the  same,  the  Synod 
hereby  declares  that  the  correspondence  between  them  and  the 
Synod  of  the  German  Reformed  Church  is  from  this  time  forth 
suspended." 

To  this  action  the  Synod  of  the  German  Reformed  Church 
responded,  at  its  meeting  in  Philadelphia,  in  October,  1853.  The 
proceedings  of  the  Synod,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  termination 
of  the  correspondence  with  the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Ciiurch,  are  recorded  in  the  published  Minutes  as  follows: 

"  General  Svnod  of  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church. 
''Tlie  delegates  to  this  body  submitted  the  following  report: 
"  Tlie  undersigned,  appointed  as  corresponding  delegates  to  the 
General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church,  respect- 
fully report, 

"Tliat  they  were  present,  during  several  days,  at  the  meeting  of 
12^  ^ 


\ 


that  Synod,  which  took  place  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  in  the 

month  of  June  last.     The  usual  business  claimed  attention.     Tlie 

most  important  item  having  reference  to  the  German  Reformed 

Church,   was   that   of  the   discontinuance   of  the   correspondence 

with   our  Synod.     The  rensons   assigned   for   reaching   the  result 

they  did  are  given  at  length  in  their  published  Minutes.     It  will 

therefore  be  imneces?ary  to  advert  to  them  here.     We  would  sim- 

.ply  add,  that  your  delegates,  in  their  parting  addresses,  endeavored 

fVuthfully,  yet  in  ns  kind  and  respectful  language  as  they  knew  how 

to  employ,  to  explain  and  defend  the  position  of  our  Synod,  and  to 

vindicate'  the  character  of  the  German  Reformed  Church  as  the 

Church  of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  against  the   aspersions  that 

were  attempted  to  be  heaped  upon  her  in  this  direction. 

••Respectfully  submitted, 

"Henry  IIardaugh. 

"  Samuel  R.  Fisuer. 
••  The  report  was  referred  to  a  committee  consisting  of  the  Rev. 
Charles  F.  McCauley,  Jacob  Sechlcr,  Isaac  Gerhart,  Samuel  Helf- 
fenstein.  D.D.,  Israel  S.  Weisz.  X.  S.  Strassburger,  John  C.  Hensell, 
Frederick  A.  Rupley,  Peter  S.  Fisher.  Franklin  \V.  Kremer,  Daniel 
F.  Brendle,  and  Elders  George  Besore  and  William  Mayburry.  This 
committee  submitted  the  following  report,  which  was  unanimously 

adopted : 

"The  committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  report  of  the  dele- 
gates to  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church,  beg  leave  respect- 
fully to  submit  the  following  report: 

"Your  committee  learn  from  the  report  placed  in  their  hands, 
that  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church,  at  their  late  meeting 
held  in  this  city,  discontinued  their  correspondence  with  our  Synod. 
It  was  due  to  this  Synod,  even  as  an  act  of  common  courtesy,  that 
official  notice  of  this  discontinuance  should  have  been  communicated 
by  the  proper  authorities  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church.  Tliis. 
however,  has  not  been  done,  and  we  have  accordingly  had  no  other 


APPENDIX    A. 


275 


official  knowledge  of  their  action  than  is  furnished  by  the  report 
and  statements  of  our  delegates.     The  correspondence  was  com- 
menced forty  years  ago,  at  the  request  of  the  Dutch  Church.     Our 
Synod  most  cordially  entered  into  the  arrangement,  and  has  con- 
tinned  to  comply  with  the  rules  of  correspondence,  in  the  hope  that 
in  this  way  something  might  be  contributed  towards  brini^in?  about 
the  unity  of  the  Church,  which  the  Lord  so  explicitly  teaches  as 
necessary,  and  for  which  he  so  earnestly  prays.     Receiving  the 
Scriptures  as  we  do,  with  implicit  foith.  Synod  could  not  but  feel 
deeply  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  aiming  at  promoting  this  end 
in  all  its  proceedings.     A  review  of  these  proceedings  satisfies  your 
committee,  that  the  course  of  Synod  has  ever  been  of  a  fraternal 
character  towards  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church,  but  they 
regret  to  say,  that  a  reciprocal  kindness  has  not  always  been  experi- 
enced by  our  bod}^     On  the  contrary,  there  has  been  an  evident 
attempt,  in  many  instances,  on  the  part  of  the  brethren  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church,  during  the  last  ten  years,  to  interfere  in 
matters  that  concerned  us  alone.     In  some  cases,  no  doubt,  our 
movements  have  been  modified  by  such  influence,  and  in  those  in- 
stances in  which  Synod  has  shown  herself  unwilling  to  yield  her 
rights,  we  have  been  made,  in  a  private  way  at  least,  to  feel  that 
we  have  by  far  too  much  independence  to  meet  with  the  approba- 
tion of  those  who  have  so  long  condescended  to  evince  towards  us 
a  patronizing  air. 

"Your  committee  regard  the  action  of  the  late  Synod  of  the 
Dutch  Church  as  a  matter  to  be  regretted,  not  so  much  on  account 
of  any  loss  we  may  be  thought  to  have  sustained  as  a  body,  as 
because  of  the  injury  suffered  in  common  with  the  Church  as  a 
whole.  So  far  as  our  denominational  interests  are  concerned,  the 
connection  has  been  one  of  loss  only,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  some  of  the  brethren  long  since  considered  the  arrogant  and 
presumptuous  conduct  of  that  Synod  as  calling  for  a  demand  on  our 


276 


APPENDIX    A. 


part  to  have  the  correspondence  broken  off.     But  Synod  as  a  body 
could  not  entertain  such  an  idea,  because  it  would  have  been  schis- 
matic, and  as  such,  contrary  to  the  principles  of  Christian  charity 
and  the  word  of  God.     Tlie  l))itch  Church  can  take  to  herself  the 
entire  credit  (not  to  mention  their  abrupt  withdrawal  from  the 
Triennial  Convention),  of  interrupting  the  correspondence  carried 
on  so  many  years  in  friendship.     This  step  was  taken  by  them  in  a 
most  irregular  way.     One  year  ago,  our  Synod  in  Baltimore  filed 
exceptions  to  the  course  taken  by  their  corresponding  delegates  of 
the  previous  year,  who  allowed  themselves  so  far  to  transcend  the 
privileges  extended  in  the  way  of  Christian  conrtes}',  as  to  sit  in 
judgment  on  our  orthodoxy.  And  not  only  so,  but  in  connection  with 
their  decision,  they  reported  misrepresentations  of  the  action  of 
Synod  touching  the  whole  matter.     In   the  exceptions   filed,  the 
Synod  at  Baltimore  noticed  these  features  of  the  case  at  length,  in 
the  hope  that  the  Synod  of  the  Dutch  Church  would  be  disposed 
readily  to  do  justice  to  those  whom  they  hnd  aggrieved  unwittingly, 
as  was  supposed.     But   your  committee  regret  to  say,  that  they 
have  added  insult  to  injury.     They  have  endeavored  to  justify  their 
course  by  aspersing  our  Church  in  the  most  unkind  manner.     By 
this  we  are  now  assured  that  the  act  of  their  Synod  in  the  city  of 
Williamsburg  was  not  a  matter  of  haste,  but  a  deliberate  attempt 
to  assert  their  right  to  sit  as  the  judge  and  guardian  of  the  German 
Reformed  Church.    In  this  respect  your  committee  regard  the  action 
of  the  Dutch  Church  as  the  most  unwarranted  assumption  of  which 
we  can  well  conceive — an  assumption  to  which  perhaps  they  were 
led  by  our  forbearance  thus  fur.     But  whilst  this  Synod,  from  time 
to  time,  bore  with  much  patience  their  dictatorial  interference,  it 
never  once  was  intended  to  admit  that  that  interference  was  justi- 
fiable.    It  tolerated  their  conduct  as  that  of  weak  brethren,  with 
whom  it  is  a  Christian  duty  to  use  great  forbearance. 

"  In  their  late  Synod  in  this  city  they  gravely  charge  us   with 


I 


I! 


having  done  what  *  amounts  to  a  tacit  connivance  with,  if  not  a 
virtual  approval  of  views  which  strike  at  the  vitality  of  the  truth 
as  maintained  by  the  Protestant  Church.'  This  your  committee 
regard  as  an  unqualified  slander,  and  one  wiiich  has  already  re- 
dounded  to  the  merited  disgrace  of  the  source  whence  it  sprang. 
Tlie  doctrines  and  sentiments  charged  upon  our  professors  and 
others,  but  which  they  disclaim  in  toto,  are  doctrines  and  sentiments 
in  regard  to  which  this  Synod  has  never  felt  itself  called  upon  to 
eit  in  judgment,  and  to  which  it  has  never  given  *  a  virtual  approval.' 
The  genius  of  our  Church  allows  diversity  in  non-essentials.  And 
that  there  is  some  difference  among  us  on  points  not  affecting  the 
great  plan  of  salvation  is  not  to  be  denied.  The  absence  of  such 
diversity  would  argue  the  want  of  manly  and  independent  thought. 
Diversity  in  unity,  is  a  privilege  enjoyed  by  the  ministers  and  mem- 
bership of  our  Church,  and  we  never  contracted  to  barter  our  birth- 
right for  a  mess  of  pottage,  nor  could  our  brethren  of  the  Dutch 
Church  have  reasonably  expected  it. 

"  Yet,  because  we  did  not  catch  at  their  suggestions,  condemn 
our  brethren  unheard  upon  mere  rumor,  and  constitute  ourselves 
into  a  heresy-hunting  and  modern  anti-popery  society,  they  issue 
their  anathema  with  all  the  array  of  power  displayed  in  a  papal 
malediction,  and  in  all  the  self-righteous  spirit  of  one  of  old,  who 
prayed,  *  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extor- 
tioners, unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican.'  And  in  addition 
to  this,  they  instruct  all  other  branches  of  the  Church  to  follow  as 
they  lead  off.  The  course  thus  taken,  your  committee  find  to  be 
entirely  in  violation  of  the  spirit  and  letter  of  the  terms  of  cor- 
respondence. And  the  act  itself  is  without  foundation;  for  the 
Church  stands  now  as  it  ever  has  done  since  the  days  of  the  Re- 
formation, unshaken,  by  the  Scriptures  as  expounded  in  the  Heidel- 
berg Catechism.  In  view  of  the  whole  subject  as  thus  presented, 
your  committee  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  following  resolutions: 


278 


APPENDIX    A. 


«  1.  Besolved,  That,  feeling  with  '  the  father  of  the  faithful,'  the 
disgrace  caused  by  the  existence  of  stiife  between  his  herdsmen  and 
the  lierdsmen  of  Lot  in  tlie  presence  of  the  Canaanite  and  Perizzite, 
we  acquiesce  in  tlic  discontinuance  of  correspondence  with  the  Re- 
fonned  Protestant  Dutch  Church. 

"2.  Resolved,  Tliat  notwithstanding  the  grievances  inflicted 
upon  us  by  that  body,  we  still  cherish  towards  them  the  spirit  of 
love  and  forbearance  enjoined  by  our  blessed  Saviour." 

This  report  was  signed  by  all  the  members  of  the  committee, 
whose  names  have  already  been  given  above. 


APPENDIX  B. 

Connection  with  toe  American  Board. 

As  the  connection  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  with  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  referred  to 
on  page  138  of  the  Memoir,  forms  an  important  part,  not  only  of 
her  history  at  home,  but  also  of  the  history  of  her  missionary  oper- 
ations in  foreign  lands,  the  fiicts  in  the  case  are  thought  to  lie  so 
far  within  the  scope  of  the  present  volume  as  to  justifj'  the  transfer 
to  its  pages  of  the  official  papers  embodying  the  action  by  which 
the  General  Synod  and  the  American  Board,  in  the  most  friendly 
spirit,  dissolved  the  relation  which  had  so  long  subsisted  between 
them.  It  has  already  been  stated  on  a  previous  page  that  the  dis- 
solution was  decided  upon  by  the  General  Synod  at  its  meeting  at 
Tthaca,  New  York,  in  June,  1857.  The  report  then  submitted  by 
the  committee  on  Foreign  Missions,  and  adopted  by  the  Synod  with 
but  little  opposition,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  subject  before  us,  is 
in  the  following  words : 


*•  It  appears  that  last  year  a  very  able  report,  traversing  this 
whole  subject  in  all  its  parts,  was,  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  oiir 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  submitted  to  the  General  Synod.  Tlie 
Synod's  committee  reported  favorably  on  the  proposed  change  ;  but 
after  discussion  tlie  whole  question  was  postponed  to  this  year,  and 


280 


APPENDIX    B. 


now  comes  up  for  final  action.  The  report  of  our  Board  for  1857 
does  not  retract  their  unanimous  opinion  given  in  1856,  but  merely 
cites  the  language  of  one  of  the  resolutions  passed  hy  the  A.  B.  C. 
F.  M.  at  Newark,  in  October  last,  which  it  says  renders  null  the 
reason  for  separation  founded  upon  the  point  of  '  ecclesiastical 
organization.'  But  this  point  was  *  only  incidental ; '  the  weight  of 
the  question  was  placed  upon  other  grounds.  The  action,  therefore, 
of  the  American  Board,  last  October,  has  not  touched  the  essential 
elements  of  the  case  ;  these  still  exist  in  all  their  original  integrity. 
They  are  thus  given  in  the  masterly  report  of  185G:  understood  to 
be  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ferris : 

"  *  I.  If,  as  a  Church,  we  are  to  do  any  thing  effectually  in  the 
great  work  of  Foreign  Missions,  we  need  a  mode  of  action  which 
shall  bring  the  responsibility  directly  home  to  our  people,  and  this 
an  independent  operation  is  most  likely  to  secure. 

** '  XL  "We  are  able  to  conduct  this  department  of  church  work 
for  ourselves,  and  should,  therefore,  undertake  it. 

"  '  III.  The  Church  is  ready  for  and  desires  a  distinct  and  separate 
organization. 

♦•'IV.  It  is  regarded  as  not  a  small  consideration,  that  such 
separate  action  on  a  prominent  branch  of  Christian  benevolence 
will  complete  the  organizations  which  the  great  interests  of  the 
Church  call  for.' 

"  'First.  If,  as  a  Church,  we  are  to  do  any  thing  effectualhi  in  the 
great  work  of  Foreign  Missions,  we  need  a  mode  of  action  which  shall 
bring  the  responsibility  directly  home  to  our  people,  and  this  an  inde- 
pendent operation  is  most  likely  to  secure.* 

"  All  Christians  agree  that  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature 
is  an  absolute  duty — made  such  by  the  highest  authority  in  the 
Church — its  Head.  The  circumstances  of  time  and  place,  when  he 
uttered  his  charge,  give  special  solemnity  to  this  duty,  while  the 
blessings  vouchsafed  to  the  efforts  to  diffuse  the  proclamation  of 


APPENDIX    B. 


281 


mercy  show  how  pleasing  it  is  in  his  sight.  Each  Christian  indi- 
vidually, and  each  distinct  ecclesiastical  organization,  has  here  a 
most  important  part  to  act,  and  each  is  bound  to  that  mode  of 
action  which  shall  most  certainly  bring  every  energy  to  the  work. 
It  is  a  vast  work,  and  the  Christian  influence,  and  prayers,  and 
charities  of  each  are  called  for— every  heart  should  be  awake, 
every  right  agency  called  in 

"Xow,  it  is  believed  to  be  true,  in  the  prosecution  of  all  inter- 
ests, that  the  most  effectual  mode  of  calling  out  and  bringing  to 
bear  the  moral  power  of  an  individual,  or  a  body  of  men,  is  the 
fastening  responsibility  on  them  directly,  and  as  far  as  may  be,  per- 
sonally.    Individualizing  the  man  or  the  body,  bringing  each  to 
confront  direct  and  positive  claims,  taxes  the  conscience  and  draws 
upon  the  Christian  sympathies  in  a  way  that  will  call  out  the  de- 
sirable response.     AVhon  an  object  is  remote,  when  business  passes 
through  second  hands  and  distant  hands,  and  responsibility  is  re- 
moved, our  infirm  nature  is  prone  to  fall  into  indifference,  or  will 
feel  little.     Others  have  charge  of  the  active  movements,  others  im- 
pel the  car;  the  subsidiary  agency  is  distant  from  all  the  points  of 
conflict  and  difficulty,  and  hence  will  ordinarily  be  cold  and  listless, 
or   a   philosoj.hical  action  may   be  kept   up  without  power  and 
vitality.     The  confirmation  and  illustration  of  this  are  seen  in  the 
history  of  all  our  charitable  associations.     Tlie  more  direct  the  re- 
sponsibility Ihe  more  decided  and  earnest  will  be  the  effort. 

"  By  the  present  arrangement  in  conducting  Missions  our  place 
is  simply  subsidiary.  Other  counsels  manage,  other  hands  execute ; 
responsibility  for  vigilance,  and  oversight,  and  prompt  action  is  re- 
moved several  stages  from  us.  All  means  go  to  another  treasury, 
and  its  disbursement  calls  out  no  care— scarce  an  inquiry.  We  as- 
sume it  all  to  be  right,  and  it  is  happy  in  the  circumstances  that  it 
is  and  will  be  right,  and  we  know  no  more.  And  then,  if  difficul- 
ties arise,  they  fall  elsewhere.     If  there  be  deficiency,  we  do  not 


I 


282 


APPENDIX    B. 


feel  it.     There  is  a  ready  answer  to  all  urgency :  '  0,  if  ve  do  not 
furnish  the  means,  others  will,'  and  thus  a  double  injury  results;  the 
.  -withholding  of  benefactions  being  the  less,  and  the  positive  moral 
torpifying  influence  the  greater. 

"  It  cannot  be  said  our  Church  has  done  nothing.  On  the  con- 
trary, there  has  been  a  constant,  if  not  a  large  stream,  making  its 
meandering  way  to  the  great  reservoir.  But  to  those  who  know 
her  it  is  obvious  she  has  done  far  less  than  hor  position  an.l  resour- 
ces would  lead  us  to  look  for.  In  short,  far  less  than  she  ought  to 
have  done,  and  to  be  doing.  About  the  time  of  the  departure  of 
the  first  missionary  family  there  was  a  high  degree  of  feeling,  and 
the  interest  was  widely  diffused,  and  it  may  be  a  question  whether 
to  the  impetus  then  given  we  are  not  in^lebted  for  what  has  since 
been  done,  only  occasional  circumstances  having  come  in  to  keep  up 
the  momentum.  Such  is  the  constitutional  characteristic  of  our 
people,  that  having  begun  an  un<lertaking,  they  pursue  it,  as  a 
habit,  even  though  the  interest  taken  be  not  lively — a  capital  trait 
to  rely  on,  but  one  which  should  be  improved  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  highest  results. 

'*  At  present,  where  is  tliero  animation  and  energy  in  the  good 
cause?  Does  this  Board  possess  either?  Is  not  the  Board  very 
much  a  cypher,  and  made  such  by  its  position?  What  is  the 
meaning  of  the  fact  that  it  has  held  one  meeting  a  year?  Has  it 
not  been  felt  that  we  have  nothing  to  do?  Of  what  worth  can 
such  a  bcdylje?  And  what  feeling  pervades  the  Church?  Is  it 
the  quickened  feeling  of  a  high  sense  of  responsibility  ?  Do  the 
hearts  of  our  people  warm  towards  the  great  subject  as  their  own  ? 
Does  it  not  seem  as  if  the  prevalent  feeling  was,  that  the  interest  of 
the  affair  lies  over  East,  beyond  the  boundary  of  our  own  State, 
and  only  concerned  our  peojde  secondarily  ? 

"  If  this  is  so,  we  need  a  change  in  our  mode  of  action,  such  a 
change  as  will  bring  close  before  our  mental  view  and  very  near 


APPENDIX    B. 


283 


our  hearts  the  necessities  which  call  for  Christian  help.     We  need 

an  operation  which  shall  lay  responsibility  upon  every  conscience 

directly,  which  shall  draw  hard,  and  constantly,  and  largely  on  our 

piety— something  which  shall  waken  all  to  the  Lord's  work  among 

the  perishing,  whose  cry  may  come  to  the  heart  fresh  through  as 

few  mediums  as  possible. 

"  It  is  believed  that  a  distinct  and  separate  conduct  of  Foreign 

Missions  will  tend  much  to  secure  this  end.     It  cannot  be  said  that 

this  will  be  unf\iiling,  for  there  will  be,  doubtless,  always,  while 

Christians  are  what  they  are,  drones  in  the  Christian  hive;  but  the 

claim  set  up  is — this  will  be  the  most  hopeful  means  of  attaining 

what  we  desire.     Under  it  we  may  hope  to  see  portions  of  the 

Church,  now  inactive,  become  earnest,  and  those  which  have  settled 

down  into  a  supine  state  awaken  to  new  life,  as  they  would  be 

made  to  feel  that  the  whole  weight  of  our  missionary  work  was  on 
them. 

" '  Secondly.    We  are  able  to  conduct  this  department  of  Church 
work  for  ourselves,  and  should,  therefore,  undertake  it.* 

"  It  is  a  grave  question  whether  moral  responsibility  can  be 
transferred  from  oneself  to  others  without  culpability.  Certain  it 
is,  it  cannot  occur  where  there  is  full  ability  and  abundant  oppor- 
tunity to  do  one's  work.  Each  man  must  answer  directly  for  any 
failure  to  meet  the  Divine  requirement.  What  is  positively  re- 
quired must  be  as  positively  met.  If  there  be  inability  or  insuf- 
ficient opportunities,  these  may  be  pleaded  in  bar  of  julgment,  but 
then  the  evidence  must  be  adequate  to  the  plea. 

"  In  the  work  of  which  we  speak,  neitlier  of  these  can  be  urged, 
and  our  duty  remains;  the  claims  are  urgent  and  inalienable. 

"  Tlie  proper  inquiry  is,  what  is  the  ability  needed  in  the  inde- 
pendent management  of  Foreign  Missions?  Two  things  are  em- 
braced, we  would  repl}* :  the  pecuniary  resources  to  be  expended, 
and  the  men  of  intellect,  integrity  and  sound  judgment  to  take  the 
oversifijht. 


"That  we  Imve  the  former  is  manifest  from  the  history  of  the 
past.     Let  us  suppose  that  there  is  merely  a  trfliisfer  of  the  Missions 
"where  our  brethren  are  engaged  to  our  immediate  care — have  not 
tlie   means   necessary   for  their   support   bet-n   realized  from  our 
Cliurches?     If  our  people  only  do  as  they  have  done,  will  there  be 
any  fear  of  failure?     From  the  Annual  lleports  of  the  Treasurers 
ft       of  our  Board  since  1832,  it  appears  that  $203,016  66  have  been 
contributed,  which,  after  deducting  a  comparatively  small  sum  for 
the  occasional  agencies  of  our  commissioned  or  returned  mission- 
aries, and  incidental  expenses  (say  not  exceeding  §5,000),  in  the 
twenty-four  years,  have  gone  into  the  treasury  of  the  American 
Board.     On  the  other  hand,  the  American  Board,  as  appears  from 
the  Annual  Reports,  has  expended  on  our  Missions  and  missionary 
brethren    $131,367  44,   to   which   may   be   probably  added   some 
$10,000  for  sums  appropriated  to  Dr.  Abeel  and  Dr.  Scudder,  which 
have  not  been  presented  separately,  but  are  included  in  aggregates 
of  the  Missions  where  they  were.    Heie,  then,  we  see  that  not  only 
has  the  Church  furnished  what  was  necessary  for  her  own  sons,  but 
aided  in  a  considerable  sura  iu  the  blessed  work  of  making  other 
hearts  glad. 

"  No  special  urgency  has  been  applied  in  what  has  been  accom- 
plished ;  and  may  we  not  conclude  that  what  has  been  done  can  be 
done?  Tlie  Church's  means  have  not  been  exhausted.  On  the 
lowest  supposition  which  we  can  make,  if  no  more  effort  is  put 
forth,  and  no  greater  ability  is  enjoyed,  and  our  Missions  remain  the 
same  in  point  of  number  and  expensiveness,  we  ^hould  fear  no  sad- 
dening issue. 

"But  who  of  us  for  a  moment  believes  that  the  pecuniary 
ability  of  the  Church  does  not  warrant  the  fair  hope  of  much  more 
under  a  proper  influence  ?  God  has  highly  blessed  our  people  with 
the  good  things  of  this  world.  A  full  cup— eminent  prosperity  has 
been  theirs.     Tlie  Church,  besides,  has  grown  and  expanded  very 


decidedly  within  twenty-five  years.  In  1829  the  Stated  Clerk  of 
General  Synod  gave  a  list  of  our  ministers  as  numbering  149,  when 
our  churches  also  were  184.  In  1855  he  publishes,  in  the  Minutes 
of  General  Synod,  that  there  are  348  ministers  and  364  churches— 
a  noticeable  increase.  With  this  expansion  there  has  been  pro- 
portionate growth  of  strength.  It  would  be  ungrateful  to  our 
benign  Benefactor  to  deny,  with  this  before  us,  that  much  more 
might  be  accomplished,  if  we  had  the  proper  spirit.  Our  Missions 
might  be  multiplied,  new  fields  might  be  occupied  and  all  re- 
quisite support  would  be  furnished. 

"  It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  quite  a  large  proportion  of  our 
churches  have  done  very  little  or  nothing  for  our  Foreign  Missions, 
while  none  have  exercised  self-denial  in  what  they  have  given.  It 
is  reasonable  to  believe  that  many  now  and  heretofore  inactive, 
under  a  more  direct  action  would  come  up  to  this  work,  and  thus 
we  may  fairly  calculate  on  having  new  channels  of  beneficence 
opened. 

"It  is  true,  under  an  independent  organization  there  would  be 
additional  expenditure  incurred ;  but  this,  including  every  form  of 
expense,  would  not  be  large— certainly  not  exceeding  two  thousand 
dollars  (and  this  is  an  outside  estimate),  which  would  be  more  than 
made  up  by  the  new  resources  which  would  be  secured.  It  should 
be  remembered  in  this  connection  that  much  service  is  constantly 
rendered  simply  from  love  for  the  cause  of  religion.  The  members 
of  our  Boards  (among  them  men  of  active  business,  whose  time  is 
very  valuable),  the  Recording  and  Corresponding  Secretaries  and 
Treasurers,  receive  no  pecuniary  compensation.  What  would  be 
requisite,  then,  would  be  incidental  to  the  collection  and  transmis- 
sion  of  money.  If  more  should  be  required  through  the  occupancy 
of  new  fields,  the  Providence  which  opened  the  door  would  furnish 
the  means. 

"  As  to  the  second  requisite — our  having  men  of  intellect,  in- 


tegrity  and  judgment  to  manage  missionary  matters— we  think 
there  can  be  no  doubt     The  Foreign  Missionary  Wi.rk  has  peculi- 
arities, and  these  must  be  fully  understood  in  order  to  be  provided 
for,  but  the  same  class  of  mind  which  elsewhere  does  the  work  is 
found  among  ourselves.     We  are  not  aware  that  there  is  any  evi- 
dence, in  any  enterprise  of  the  Church  conducted  by  our  brethren, 
of  any  deficiency  of  executive  or  administrative  talent     We  think 
the  position  of  our  institutions  and  our  general  interests  is  sufficient 
to  satisfy  at  least  ourselves  of  what  our  brethren  are  adequate  to 
perform. 

"  High  praise  is  to  be  accorded  to  the  distinguished  men  who 
have  been  and  are  in  charge  of  the  opemtions  of  the  American 
Board.  We  love  and  honor  them— they  are  our  friends  and 
brethren.  We  are  not  to  forget  concerning  them  that  actual  con- 
tact with  their  special  duties  has  fitted  them  for  their  work.  And 
the  same,  we  may  hope,  will  be  the  case  with  our  own  brethren  in 
the  same  circumstances. 

"  In  a  new  enterprise  we  must  allow  for  some  fiiction,  but  very 
soon  every  desirable  adjustment  will  be  secured.     Certain  it  is  that 
as  we  now  are,  our  brethren  will,  in  no  cases,  ever  acquire  that 
familiarity  with  the  practical  details  of  missionary  management 
which  will  be  called  for,  if  hereafter,  at  any  time,  we  are  to  go 
alone.     No  man  among  us  supposes  we  shall  always  act  through 
the  present  agency.     Will  we,  then,  act  prematurely,  if  we  take 
measures  to  bring  about  an  organization  to  which  we  all  look  for- 
ward, and  for  which  we  shall  need  the  qualifications  which  may  be 
attained  while  our  Missions  are  few,  and  compact,  and  well  ar- 
ranged?   Let  us  allow  that  mistakes  may  be  committed,  so  it  oc- 
curs in  ail  departments,  for  none  are  infallible;  yet  we  have  no  rea- 
son to  anticipate  any  which  united  councils  may  not  correct  or 

modify. 

"  And  then  shall  we  be  cut  off  from  the  benefit  of  the  advice  of 


APPENDIX   B. 


287 


our  brethren  in  the  missionary  work  in  other  denominations? 
Shall  we,  because  of  sejxarate  and  distinct  operations,  be  divorced 
from  all  the  good  ofliees  of  the  brethren  with  whom  we  have  so 
pleasantly  and  so  long  acted  ?     We  ouglit  to  have  no  fears  here. 

"Sucii  Is  the  general  acquaintance  with  the  missionary  work, 
we  have  read  so  much,  heard  so  much,  and  seen  so  much  of  the 
movements  around  us,  that  we  have  confidence  that  we  might  look 
for  the  Divine  blesJ^ing  on  our  distinct  efforts  as  a  Church,  and  that 
every  year  would  see  the  circle  of  duty  becoming  more  and  aiore  a 
training  school  for  securing  higher  results. 

"After  this  review,  we  may  ask.  On  what  ground  can  we  put 
away  from  us,  as  a  Church,  the  obligation  to  preach  the  Gospel  di- 
rectly to  tlie  perishing?  Having  all  the  ability,  pecuniary,  and  in- 
tellectual, and  pious,  which  is  necessary,  can  we  without  culpa- 
bility ask  other  persons  to  do  our  work  ?  Will  it  not  be  a  more 
serious  reflection  than  to  go  alone  and  not  accomplish  so  much  at 
the  outstt,  or  commit  some  mistakes  in  our  first  efiforts? 

'•  The  circumstances  of  our  Church,  twenty-four  years  ago,  were 
such  as  to  make  the  union  then  formed  very  desirable,  and  almost 
the  only  feasihle  mode  of  action.  We  have  since  been  rapidly 
gaining  strength  and  position.  Our  Church  plans  have  been  ad- 
vanced to  a  higher  point,  and  we  are  better  fitted  in  eveiy  respect 
to  go  forward  in  every  legitimate  church  enterprise.  Shall  we  not 
do  it  for  our  own  sake— shall  we  not  do  it  for  the  sake  of  truth  and 
human  good  ? 

"  'Thirdly.  The  Church  is  ready  for  and  desires  the  separate  and 
distinct  organization:  When  the  present  arrangement  was  made,  it 
had  the  warm  and  earnest  interest  of  a  large  majority  of  the 
Church.  Cases  there  were  of  brethren  who  were  adverse,  but  they 
preferred  to  be  silent  and  see  the  plan  fully  tried.  They  were  wil- 
ling, for  the  sake  of  the  cause,  that  the  friends  of  the  Union  should 
realize  all  that  was  practicable  under  it 


288 


APPENDIX   B. 


"  It  was  about  four  years  after  this  Avhen  the  subject  of  separa- 
tion came  up  before  tlie  Synod,  and  it  was  referred  to  this  Board  to 
express  its  judgment  in  tlie  premises.  That  was  decidedly  and 
strongly  in  favor  of  the  continuance  of  the  present  plan,  based 
especially  on  the  consideration  that  we  had  so  recently  formed  it, 
and  hence  could  not  pronounce  on  its  efficiency ;  and  also  that  we 
had  sought  it,  and  so  soon  to  abandon  it  would  reflect  on  us  as  a 
denomination. 

•'  In  the  progress  of  succeeding  years  the  feeling  has  gained 
strength  that  the  Church  should  do  her  own  work;  that  it  was  de- 
rogatory to  throw  into  other  hands,  and  those  of  strangers,  the 
oversight  and  care  of  our  sons.  This,  from  all  we  can  gather, 
seems  to  be  the  prevailing  sentiment.  It  is  true  that  no  ecclesiasti- 
cal action  has  given  form  to  the  views  entertained,  yet  there  have 
been  frequent  conferences  of  brethren  in  which  this  has  been  ex- 
pressed. Among  those  who  desire  the  independent  form  of  action, 
are  some  of  our  best  and  most  influential  men,  and  those  who  have 
not  withheld  their  hand  from  effort. 

••  It  is  proper  to  say  that  the  reasons  given  vary.  But  by  far 
the  larger  number  take  the  broad  and  high  Christian  ground,  that 
the  Church  as  such  can  only  be  true  to  her  duty  to  her  Head,  by 
doing  her  appointed  work  for  herself,  as  he  has  blessed  her  with  the 
means  and  opportunities. 

"  It  is  not  to  be  concealed  that  there  is  a  growing  disinclination 
for  what  have  been  called  voluntary  associations,  and  a  tendency  to 
ecclesiastical  resp(-nsibility,  and,  where  ministers  are  concerned,  a 
marked  conviction  that  their  position  should  be  decided,  and  con- 
trolled by  ecclesiastical  action,  where  they  have  the  right  of  appeal, 
and  not  by  committees. 

"  But  whatever  the  considerations  which  have  moved  the  minds 
of  our  brethren,  it  is  believed  that  there  is  an  extensive  readiness 


I  i 


1 1 


APPENDIX    B. 


289 


for  separate  action,  and  that  the  Church  will  come  promptly  and 
liberally  to  its  maintenance. 

Fourthly.—/^  is  regarded  as  not  a  small  considei-ation,  that  mch 
separate  action  on  a  great  branch  of  Christian  benevolence  will  com- 
plete the  organizations  which  the  great  interests  of  the  Church  call  for.' 
"It  is  conceded  on  all  sides  that  we  must  take  care  of  ourselves. 
If  we  have  nothing  to  which  we  attach  importance,  nothing  worth 
preserving  in  our  principles  and  polity,  then  is  there  no  call  for 
solicitude  or  wakefulness  or  effort.     But  this  is  not  the  case,  as  all 
our  efforts  to  meet  various  forms  of  want  clearly  show.  The  Church 
has  felt  that  she  must  perpetuate  her  ministry,  secure  her  own  sons 
for  her  pastoral  fields,  while  she  would  not  close  the  door  on  others, 
and  hence  she  has  attended  specially  to  her  educational  interests,' 
and  provided  for  the  exigencies  of  such  as  need  aid.     She  has  ever 
been  known  for  her  solicitude  for  a  well-trained  ministry,~one 
trained  in  the  truth;  hence  she  has  her  School  of  the  Prophets. 
Her  feeling  has  deepened  in  behalf  of  her  own  children  and  the 
strangers  from  other  lands,  and  especially  from  the  fatherland,  dif- 
fused over  a  vastly  extended  country;  hence  she  has  her  Domestic 
Missionary  Board.     She  has  a  sympathy  for  her  disabled  or  poorly 
sustained  ministry,  and  the  families  of  her  deceased  sons;  accord- 
ingly she  has  her  Sustentation  and  Widows'  Funds.    She  has  more 
recently,  in  her  highest  judicatory,  with  entire  unanimity,  decided 
that  she  would  furnish  her  f-imilies  with  a  sound  Christian  literature, 
and  hence  she  instituted  her  Board  of  Publication.     And  now  to 
complete  the  circle  of  provision  for  great  interests,  she  only  needs 
her  distinct  operations  for  Foreign  Missions. 

"  If  one  of  the  fathers  who  fell  asleep  some  thirty-five  years  or 
forty  years  ago  should  arise,  how  different  a  Church  would  he  find 
in  all  the  points  of  true  Christian  usefulness  from  that  which  he 
left,  while  every  where  he  would  hear  the  same  truth,  and  observe 
the  same  Church  order  maintained.     And  how  cheering  would  he 

1.0 


290 


APPENDIX   B. 


regard  the  prospect,  as  he  saw  on  every  side  so  many  young  men,  and 
80  many  in  the  vigor  of  life  engaged  in  the  Church's  service !  The 
mind  cannot  rest  on  the  present  attitude  of  our  denomination  as  a 
tribe  in  the  Christian  Israel,  without  gratified  feeling.  Never  before 
did  we  stand  so  strong,  never  so  hnppily  caparisoned  for  the  work 
of  the  Master.  We  are  a  united  Chureh  ;  we  have  a  noble  band  of 
men  under  the  middle  line  of  life,  and  others  coming  up,  well  trained 
and  glowing  with  zeal,  who  will  not  be  behind  their  brethren.  AVe 
may  well  complete  the  group  of  agencies,  that  they  may  labor  with 
better  advantage,  and  carry  on  what  the  fathers  have  begun,  to  a 
higher  degree  of  success  and  usefulness. 

"  If  it  should  be  asked  whether,  on  the  principles  stated,  we 
must  have  our  organizations  for  distinct  classes  or  descriptions  of 
men,  the  reply  would  be,  that  provision  should  be  made  for  these 
under  those  now  enjoyed.  There  is  no  incongruity  in  having  a  do- 
mestic missionary  for  the  Jews  in  our  land,  or  a  domestic  chaplain 
for  seamen  in  our  ports,  under  the  care  of  our  Domestic  Board,  and 
the  same  under  our  Foreign  Board  for  those  abroad.  And  as  to  the 
department  of  Publication,  there  are  not  a  few  who  believe,  as  they 
scan  the  signs  of  the  times,  and  note  how  the  entering  wedge  of  dis- 
tracting discussion  has  been  employed,  that  we  may  soon  have 
stronger  reasons  for  believing  the  organization  of  a  Board  of  Publi- 
cation most  timely. 

**  It  may  be  said  this  whole  view  tends  to  make  us  exclusive, 
but  this  is  not  necessarily  so.  There  is  notliing  to  call  out  an  un- 
kind feeling  towards  others,  nothing  to  interrupt  the  comities  which 
should  prevail  among  Christians.  It  does  not  follow  that  because  a 
man  keeps  up  good  enclosures,  and  supplies  himself  with  all  desira- 
ble instrumentalities  to  do  well  the  work  of  his  own  domain,  therefore 
he  is  estranged  from  his  neighbor,  or  must  look  coldly  on  his  con- 
dition and  progress,  and  cannot  unite  with  him  in  working  on 
the  common  highway.     In   maintaining  distinctly  all  we  regard 


I  ; 


important  in  doctrinal  views  and  order,  if  our  course  is  a  right  one, 
we  shall.cultivate  more  and  more  the  Christian  spirit,  and  we  shall 
find  much  in  which  we  shall  cooperate,  and  may  wish  God  speed  to  all 
right  minded,  earnest  men,  though  they  bear  not  our  commissions. 

"It  may  also  be  said,  why  separate  when  our  relation  is  so 
happy,  and  so  much  harmony  prevails?  The  reply  is,  if  there 
be  duty  in  the  case  or  responsibility,  such  as  has  been  affirmed, 
then,  when  there  is  such  good  feeling  and  harmony,  is  the  time  to 
make  a  required  separation.  It  is  a  grievous  reflection  that  many 
Churches  grow  out  of  bitter  controversies  and  deeply  seated  enmi- 
ties. This  is  far  from  being  honorable  to  the  piety  of  those  con- 
cerned. Still,  if  they  cannot  live  together,  they  had  better  live 
apart.  But  what  blessings  can  be  looked  for  where  the  seeds  of 
strife  are  sown  broadcast?  Tliere  is  something  pleasant,  something 
that  accords  with  every  principle  of  the  Gospel,  for  brethren  who 
feel  that  they  must  have  larger  place,  that  they  owe  a  better  service 
to  the  Master  and  to  man,  to  leave  what  may  be  called  the  home 
circle,  with  all  its  endearments,  to  enter  upon  a  wider  field  It  is  the 
young  swarm  going  out  from  the  parent  hive,  to  carry  on  its  honey- 
gathering  labor  under  new  auspices.  There  ought  to  be  a  state  of 
kindness  when  such  partings  occur.  We  shall  need  each  other's 
kind  offices  ;  we  shall  be  called  at  times  to  work  side  by  side  for  our 
Divine  Lord. 

'•  So,  again,  it  may  be  said  we  lose  the  benefit  resulting  from 
participation  in  so  large  a  work  as  that  of  the  American  Board,  and 
the  opportunity  of  bringing  to  bear  upon  the  hearts  of  our  people 
those  glorious  results  from  time  to  time  secured.  We  acknowledge 
this  will  be  true  in  a  degree ;  we  acknowledge  the  advantage  of 
being  able  to  draw  from  the  large  and  accumulating  treasury  of 
delightful  and  touching  incidents  gathered  from  a  wide  missionary 
field ;  we  acknowledge  there  will  be  a  loss  felt  by  numbers  who 
have  mingled  in  the  scenes  of  the  great  Annual  Convocation,  and 


listened  to  the  Animal  Report,  a  document  more  important  than 
almost  any  annual  state  paper,  and  borne  away  the  thrilling  emotions 
and  deep  convictions  of  the  importance  of  the  missionary  work 
which  the  occasion  induced.  But  allowing  all  this,  the  question  is, 
what  does  duty  dictate  ?  Is  this  not  a  case  in  which  duty  calls  for 
the  self-denial  involved  ?  But,  after  all,  the  missionary  work  is  one, 
however  numerous  its  branches  or  departments.  We  AiaW  still  be 
sharers  with  our  brethren  in  the  joy  of  their  success.  All  that  is 
done  by  God's  people  of  every  name  is  ours.  It  is  our  privilege  to 
cull  from  all  fields  whatever  may  minister  to  the  interest  of  our 
people,  whatever  may  arouse  to  duty  and  aid  in  the  coming  of  the 
kingdom  of  our  blessed  Lord. 

"The  committee  recorainend  the  adoption  of  the  following  reso- 
lutions : 

"  1.  Resolved,  That,  considering  the  growth  of  our  missions 
abroad,  the  duty  of  the  Church,  in  her  distinctive  capacity,  as  such, 
to  take  charge  of  these  missions,  the  growing  sentiment  among  our 
people  in  fiivor  of  such  a  course,  and  the  hopeful  prospect  that  this 
action  will  tend  to  call  out  far  more  largely  and  promptly  the  re- 
sources of  our  denomination,  we  are  satisfied  that  the  time  has  come 
to  dissolve  the  union  with  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions,  and  henceforth  conduct  our  operations  among 
the  heathen  through  the  exclusive  agency  of  our  own  Board. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  the  intimate  relation  which  has  existed  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  between  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch 
Church  and  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  in  the  prosecution  of  this  work,  has 
confirmed  our  confidence  in  the  wisdom,  the  integrity  and  the 
catholic  spirit  of  that  great  and  noble  institution  ;  nor  shall  we  ever 
cease  to  feel  a  lively  interest  in  the  growth  of  its  operations  and  the 
success  of  its  plans. 

•'  3.  Resolved,  That  in  dissolving  the  pleasant  and  useful  connec- 
tion we  have  maintained  with  the  officers  and  members  of  that 


Board  for  the  last  twenty-five  years,  we  are  not  influenced  by  any 
dissatisfaction  with  their  modes  of  action,  or  any  want  of  fidelity 
on  their  part  to  the  terms  of  this  connection. 

"  4.  Resolved,  That  we  take  pleasure  in  expressing  to  the  A.  B. 
C.  F.  M.  our  grateful  sense  of  the  benefits  derived  from  their  ex- 
perience, foresight,  and  enlarged  views,  and  of  the  uniform  Chris- 
tian kindness  and  courtesy  which  have  marked  their  intercourse 
with  our  Board. 

"  5.  Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  now  composed 
of  fifteen  members,  be  increased  to  twenty-four,  the  additional 
members  to  be  chosen  by  the  Board  itself;  that  they  be  and  hereby 
are  empowered  to  arrange  with  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  the  terms  of  an 
amicable  separation,  and  to  assume  the  management  and  control  of 
the  Missions  in  Arcot  and  Amoy  ;  and  that  they  be  authorized  and 
directed  to  employ  all  suitable  means,  such  as  the  use  of  the  press, 
the  appointment  of  agents,  the  holding  of  missionary  conventions, 
and  the  like,  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  power  and  exciting 
the  interest  of  our  Churches  in  the  great  work  of  evangelizing  the 
world. 

"  6.  Resolved,  Tliat  every  pastor  be  requested  to  preach,  at  least 
once  in  each  year,  on  the  subject  of  sending  the  Gospel  to  the 
heathen,  dwelling  particularly  upon  the  character  of  the  Church  as 
the  great  missionary  organization,  upon  the  claims  of  our  missions 
abroad  for  reinforcement,  and  upon  the  duty  and  privilege  of  a 
more  unreserved  consecration  of  life  and  means  to  the  advancement 
of  God's  cause  throughout  the  world." 


In  the  action  of  the  General  Synod,  as  thus  expressed,  the 
American  Board,  at  its  annual  meeting,  held  at  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  in  September,  1857,  unanimously  concurred.  On  Wednes- 
day morning,  September  9th,  being  the  second  day  of  the  meeting,  a 
special  report  of  the  prudential  committee  on  the  connection  be- 


tween  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  and  the  Board  was  read  by  the 
senior  Secretary,  the  Rev.  Rufus  Anderson,  D.D.,  assisted  by  one  of 
the  otlier  Secretaries.  After  referring  to  the  action  of  the  General 
Synod,  and  reciting  the  five  first  of  the  resolutions  quoted  above, 
the  report  goes  on  to  say : 

"It  will  be  proper  for  the  prudential  committee,  in  communi- 
cating these  resolutions  to  the  Board,  to  make  a  concise  statement 
of  the  case. 

"At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  held  in  New  York  City,  in  the 
year  1832,  a  committee  attended  from  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,  whose  names  do  not  appear  on  our  records; 
and  Drs.  Miller  and  Edward.,  Judge  Piatt,  and  Messrs.  Lewis  and 
Anderson,  (the  last  named  now  the  only  survivor),  were  appointed, 
a  committee  to  confer  with^them.  This  committee  of  conference 
subsequently  made  the  following  report;  viz: 

"  ♦  The  selection  of  missionaries,  and  the  particular  direction  of 
missions,  are,  by  the  laws  and  regulations  of  the  Board,  made  the 
specific  duty  of  the  prudential  committee.     Tliat  committee  has 
made  it  an  invariable  rule  hitherto,  to  give  appointments  as  mis- 
sionaries to  all  suitable  preachers  of  the  Gospel  belonging  to  the 
Reformed  Dutch,  the  Presbyterian,  the  Associate  Reformed,  and  the 
Congregational  Churches,  who  have  expressed  to  them  a  willingness 
to  devote  their  lives  to  missionary  labors  among  the  heathen.   Acting 
on  this  rule,  every  reasonable  facility  will  be  furnished  to  ministers 
and  candidates  in  these  several  denominations,  for  becoming  missiona- 
ries in  heathen  lands.    The  joint  committee  see  no  way  in  which  it  is 
possible  for  the  Synod  to  render  it  easier  for  the  missionary  candidates 
in  their  Church  to  avail  themselves  of  the  experience  and  patronage 
of  the  Board  of  Missions.     The  joint  committee  would  recommend, 
as  the  most  convenient  and  effectual  method  of  securing  the  object 
which  the  Synod  has  in  view,  that  the  friends  of  missions  in  the 


Reformed  Dutch  Church,  whether  acting  as  individuals,  or  in  volun- 
tary or  ecclesiastical  associations,  exercise,  if  they  please,  their  right 
of  appropriating  their  contributions  to  the  support  of  missionaries 
from  their  own  Church,  and  such  others  as  they  approve.  In  this 
way  they  make  their  election  of  missionaries  as  really  as  if  they 
nominated  them  in  the  first  instance,  and  the  prudential  committee 
move  onward  without  embarrassment. 

"  'The  joint  committee  are  informed,  that  the  prudential  commit- 
tee intend  inviting  Mr.  Abeel  to  visit  this  country,  partly  with    a 
view  to  his  performing  an  agency  in  the  denomination  to  which  he 
belongs.     It  is  understood  also,  that  if  Mr.  Abeel  should,  on  his  re- 
turn, find  young  men  in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  possessing  the 
requisite  qualifications  for  missionaries,  and  willing  to  accompany 
him  to  the  East,  the  prudential  committee  will  gladly  give  them  an 
appointment,  and  send  them  forth  as   missionaries  of  the  Board. 
Nor  will  there  be  any  objection  to  their  forming  a  new  and  distinct 
mission,  with  an  ecclesiastical  organization  and  public  worship  accord- 
ing to  their  own  views  and  wishes,  as  has  invariably  been  the  case  with 
the  missionaries  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Board.    And  should 
the  friends  of  missions  in  that  Church  prefer  appropriating  their  con- 
tributions to  this,  or  any  other  mission  or  object  within  the  proper 
scope  of  the  Board,  and  should  it  be  practicable  to  expend  those 
contributions  wisely  upon  that  mission  or  object,  there  can  be  no 
objection  to  such  appropriations,  and  the  wishes  of  the  donors  will 
be  sacredly  regarded.     Should  there  be  any  excess  in  the  receipts 
from  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  above  the  proper  expenses  of  the 
missionaries  from  that  Church,  the  balance  will  of  course  go  for  the 
general  objects  of  the  Board.     Should  it  at  any  time  be  expedient 
to  increase  the  number  of  missionaries  in  the  missions  commenced 
by  missionaries  from  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  and  should  suita- 
ble men  in  this  Church  offer  their  services,  and  prefer  going  to  those 
missions,  they  would  have  the  preference  of  others. 


*"  These  views,  if  sanctioned  by  the  Board,  place  it  within  the 
power  of  the  friends  of  missions  in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  to 
employ  the  Board,  and  its  committee,  as  their  almoners  and  agents 
in  conducting  missions  among  the  heathen,  and,  at  the  same  time* 
have  the  satisfaction  of  supporting  missionaries  from  their  own 
Church.  The  ecclesiastical  relations  and  responsibilities  of  mis- 
sionaries are  not  at  all  affected  by  their  coming  under  the  direction 
of  the  Board.* 

"  This  report  of  the  committee  of  conference  was  unanimously 
adopted  by  the  Board. 

"  For  many  previous  years,  up  to  tliat  time,  the  Board  had  sus- 
tained precisely  the  same  relation  to  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church, 
as  it  sustained,  and  does  still  sustain,  to  the  Congregational  and 
Presbyterian  bodies.  Kine  members  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church 
were  then,  or  had  been,  corporate  members  of  the  Board;  a  distin- 
guished lay  mtmber  of  that  Chnrch  was  Vice  President  of  the 
Board;  and  at  least  two  of  the  sons  of  that  Church  had  for  years 
been  numbered  among  its  missionaries.  The  extent  of  the  co:itril.u 
tions  received  from  that  source  before  that  time,  the  prudential  com- 
mittee have  not  the  means  of  knowing. 

"If  the  compact  of  1832  be  closely  examined,  we  shall  see,  that 
it  virtually  contains  but  a  single  new  provision.  For  in  reality,  it 
added  nothing  to  the  ecclesiastical  liberty  which  missionaries  from 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  as  well  as  all  other  missionaries  of  the 
Board,  had  enjoyed  from  the  bf'ginning;  nor  to  the  liberty  which 
donors  have  always  had,  of  approj»nating  their  donations  according 
to  their  pleasure  among  the  objects  sustained  by  the  Board.  Ex- 
cepting the  single  provision  above  adverted  to,  every  thing  else  was 
merely  a  declaration  of  facts  already  existing. 

"  The  special  provisi«>n  then  made  was  for  the  forming  of  a  di-;- 
tinct  mission  or  of  di-tin.  t  n:i>?;ion8,  should  members  of  that  Church 
be  so  ineliueu,    with  uu  cccicaiastical  organization  and  public  wor- 


'  I 


ship  according  to  their  own  views  and  wishes.'  It  was  also  provided, 
In  the  language  of  the  report,  that  '  should  the  friends  of  missions  in 
that  Church  prefer  appropriating  their  contributions  to  this  or  any 
other  mission  or  object  within  the  proper  scope  of  the  Board,  and 
should  it  be  practicable  to  expend  those  contributions  wisely  upon 
that  mission  or  object,  there  can  be  no  objection  to  such  appropria- 
tions, and  the  wishes  of  the  donors  will  be  sacredly  regarded. 
Should  there  be  any  excess  in  the  receipts  from  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  above  the  proper  exj^enses  of  the  missionaries  from  that 
Church,  the  balance  will  of  course  go  for  the  general  objects  of  the 
Board.  Should  it  at  any  time  be  expedient  to  increase  the  number 
of  missionaries  in  the  missions  commenced  by  missionaries  from  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,  and  should  suitable  men  in  this  Church 
oflfer  their  services,  and  prefer  going  to  those  missions,  they  would 
have  the  preference  of  others.' 

"  *  These  views,'  it  was  added  in  the  report  then  adopted,  *  if 
sanctioned  by  the  Board,  place  it  within  the  power  of  the  friends  of 
missions  in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  to  employ  the  Board,  and 
ts  committee,  as  their  almoners  and  agents  in  conducting  missions 
among  the  heathen  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  have  the  satisfaction  of 
supporting  missionaries  from  their  own  Church.' 

"  A  mission  composed  of  four  brethren  from  the  Reformer 
Dutch  Church  was  sent  to  Netherlands-India,  in  the  year  1836  :  and 
five  other  brethren  from  the  same  Church  joined  the  mission  subse- 
quently, at  different  times.  The  government  of  Netherlands-India, 
adopted  a  narrow  policy  towards  this  mission,  shut  it  up  in  Borneo, 
and  greatly  embarrassed  its  operations.  It  was  discontinued  in 
1849,  for  want  of  missionaries  to  take  the  place  of  those  who  were 
removed  from  the  field  by  death  and  sickness, 

"  The  Amoy  mission  took  its  present  distinctive  form  in  the  year 
1844,  when  Messrs.  Doty  and  Pohlman,  under  instructions  from  the 
prudential  committee,  went  thither  from  Borneo.     Mr.  Abeel  was 

13^ 


298 


APPENDIX    B. 


already  there,  but  was  soon  obliged,  by  failing  health,  to  return  to 
the  United  States;  and  Mr.Pohlraan  perished  by  shipwreck  in  1849. 
Mr.  Talmage  arrived  in  1847,  and  Mr.  Joralmon  in  1856.     Within 
the  few  years  pa.<t,  the  brethren  at  Araoy  have  had  more  cheering 
succe33  tlian  has  been  experienced  elsewhere  in  China.     However 
important  the  prudential  committee  may  have  deemed  a  reinforce- 
ment of  this  mission  between  the  years  1849  and  1856,  they  thought 
it  expedient  to  retain  the  ground  for  the  brethren  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  ;  and  tidings  during  the  past  year,  from  the  college 
and  seminary  at  New  Brunswick,  have  cheered  them  with  the  ex- 
pectation, that  this  most  interesting  field  will  soon  be  more  ade- 
quately occupied. 

"The  Arcot  mission  originated,  in  its  present  form,  in  the  year 
1854,  through  the  action  of  the  prudential  committee,  with  missiona- 
ries belonging  to  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church.  It  began  with  two 
sons  of  the  late  Dr.  John  Scuddcr,  and  now  has  five. 

"The  only  question  of  business,  as  it  appears  to  the  prudential 
committee,  which  the  resolutions  of  the  General  Synod  bring  before 
the  Board,  relates  to  the  report  adopted  in  the  year  1832,  and  to 
the  two  missions  which  have  grown  out  of  it.  The  relations  of  the 
Board  to  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  which  existed  previously, 
through  the  membership  of  honored  fathers  and  brethren  of  that 
Church,  and  which  has  been  the  source  of  so  much  pleasure  and  ad- 
vantage to  the  Board,  is  not  supposed  to  be  matter  for  action,  on 
the  part  either  of  the  Synod  or  of  the  Board. 

"  The  Board  will  doubtless  assent  to  dissolving  the  particular 
compact  of  1832,  in  the  same  fraternal  spirit  with  which  it  has  been 
proposed  by  their  brethren  of  the  General  Synod. 

"  It  will  be  obvious  to  the  Board,  however,  that  the  dissolution 
of  that  compact  can  have  no  effect  to  dissolve  the  relation  of  any 
one  of  the  missionaries,  as  such,  to  the  Board.  Their  offers  of  ser- 
vice in  connection  with  the  Board,  came  from  them  as  individuals, 


APPENDIX    B. 


299 


in  the  exercise  of  their  individual  and  personal  responsibilities ;  and 
the  missionaries  from  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  sustain  precisely 
the  same  relation  to  the  Board  with  all  its  other  missionaries.     The 
committee  know  of  no  reason  for  supposing,  that  any  one  in  the 
Araoy  mission,  or  Arcot  mission,  will  not  be  ready  to  ask  for  a  re- 
lease from  his  connection  with  the  Board,  on  learning  the  action  of 
the  General  Synod,  and  the  concurrence  of  the  Board  in  the  same; 
and  the  prudential  committee  will  feel  it  to  be  their  duty  to  give 
their  cheerful  assent  to  such  applications.     But  the  relation  which 
the  missionaries  sustain   to  the  Board,  under  the  circumstances, 
can  be  dissolved  only  on  application  from  the  missionaries  them- 
selves; and  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Board  devolve  the  act 
of  dissolution  on  the  prudential  committee.   To  dismiss  our  brethren 
in  any  other  manner,  would  be  in  disregard  of  the  nature  of  the 
compact  existing  between  them  and  the  Board. 

"Nothing  is  said  in  the  compact  of  1832  as  to  the  transfer  of 
missions,  as  such,  in  case  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  should  at 
any  time  desire  to  recede  from  the  engagements  of  this  compact. 
But  there  has  always  been  a  tacit  understanding  among  the  execu- 
tive officers  of  the  Board,  that  those  particular  missions,  which 
should  be  formed  and  continued  on  the  peculiar  basis  of  this  com- 
pact, would  be  transferred,  with  the  property  thereto  belonging, 
when  the  compact  should  be  dissolved;  and  the  prudential  commit- 
tee advise  that  this  be  done. 

**  The  documents  received  from  these  missions  up  to  the  time  of 
transfer,  and  from  the  Borneo  mission,  ought  to  remain  with  the 
Board.  They  form  a  part  of  its  history ;  are  needed  to  illustrate 
and  justify  its  proceedings ;  and,  so  far  as  they  embody  its  expe- 
rience, they  go  to  form  its  stock  in  trade.  But  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  should  have  the  privilege 
of  taking  copies  of  such  documents  as  it  may  desire. 

"The  expenses  properly  chargeable  to  the  Reformed  Dutch 


300 


APPENDIX    B. 


Church,  since  the  year  1832,  are  believed  by  the  prudential  commit- 
tee not  to  vary  much  from  the  amount  received  as  donations  from 

that  body. 

"The  prudential  committee  are  happy  in  expressing  their  grate- 
ful sense  of  the   kindness,  candor  and  Christian  urbanity,  on  the 
part  of  that  Church  and  its  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  which  have 
uniformly  characterized  tlieir  intercourse.    And  it  is  well  known  to 
tlie  Board,  that  none  of  its  Corporate  Members  have  taken  a  more 
lively  and  intelligent  interest  in  it  proceedings  and  prosperity,  than 
have  those  from  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church ;  one  of  whom,  re- 
spected  and  beloved  by  all,  has  long  presided,  with  distinguished 
ability,  in  its  annual  meetings. 

*'  Missionary  House,  Boston,  Sept.  1,  1867. 

After    the    reading     of  the  foregoing  report,  Rev.  Dr.   Ferris 
made  some  remarks,  expressing  the  fraternal  sympathy,  and  giving 
assurance  of  the  continued  and  most  cordial  fellowship  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  with  the  Board,  in  the  great  work  of  missions. 
The  report  was  then  referred  to  a  special  committee,  consisting  of 
Dr.  Hopkins,  Dr.  Hawes,  Dr.  Anderson,  Dr.  Ferris,   R.  D.  Muzzy, 
M.  D.,  Rev.  C.  Blodgett,  and  Rev.  Wm.  Hogarth,  who  subsequently 
presented  the  following  report,  which,  with  the  resolutions,  was  ac- 
cepted and  adopted. 

"The  committee  appointed  to  consider  the  connection  between 
this  Board  and  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  accord  with  the  opin- 
ion expressed  in  the  document  which  has  been  placed  in  their 
hands,  that  the  only  thing  calling  for  the  action  of  this  Board  is  the 
compact  with  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  made  in  the  year  1832. 
That  compact  the  Board  are  invited,  in  the  most  fraternal  and  Chris- 
tian manner,  by  the  General  Synod,  now  to  dissolve;  it  being  the 
opinion  of  the  Synod,  that  such  a  measure,  at  this  time,  will  be  pro- 
motive of  Christ's  kingdom.     Tlie  committee  join  with  the  pruden- 
tial committee  in  recommending,  that  the  Board  meet  this  proposal 


1 1 
i  I 


1 1 


APPENDIX  B. 


301 


in  the  spirit  with  which  it  is  made  by  their  respected  brethren  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  and  that  the  following  resolutions  be 
adopted: 

*' Resolved,  1st,  That,  in  accordance  with  the  proposal  received 
from  the  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  the  Board 
assents  to  a  dissolution  of  the  compact,  for  the  prosecution  of  Foreign 
Missions,  which  was  formed  with  that  Synod  in  the  year  1832. 

''Resolved,  2dly,  That  the  appointment  of  a  missionary  being  a 
personal  matter,  involving  a  mutual  contract  and  obligation  between 
the  missionary  and  the  Board,  therefore,  should  the  missionaries  of 
the  Amoy  and  Arcot  missions,  formed  and  prosecuted  on  the  basis 
of  this  compact,  request  a  release  from  their  connection  with  the 
Board,  the  prudential  committee  is  instructed  to  grant  such  a  re- 
lease ;  and  also  to  transfer  the  property  in  those  missions  to  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church. 

''Resolved,  3dly,  That  all  financial  questions,  growing  out  of  this 
business,  be  referred  for  mutual  adjustment  to  the  prudential  com- 
mittee and  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church. 

"Resolved,  4thly,  That  in  assenting  to  a  dissolution  of  this  com- 
pact, now  of  twenty-five  years'  duration,  the  Board  gratefully  ac- 
knowledges the  expressions  of  respect,  esteem  and  confidence,  which 
are  embodied  in  the  resolutions  of  the  General  Synod;  and  it  would 
also  bear  testimony  to  the  Christian  kindness  and  urbanity,  which 
have  uniformly  and  eminently  characterized  the  pastors  and  mem- 
bers of  that  Church,  and  especially  the  officers  of  its  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  in  their  intercourse  with  the  officers  and  agents 
of  this  Board,  and  would  give  assurance  of  our  earnest  hope  and 
prayer,  that  the  results  of  the  step  now  taken  may  equal  the  highest 
expectations  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  in  the  promotion  of 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom." 


APPENDIX  C. 


SERMON  BY  REV.  GABRIEL  LUDLOW,  D.D., 

PREACHED   IN  THE 

REFORMED  DUTCH  CHURCH  OF  HARLINGEN, 

OS 

On  Wednesday,  October  2V,  1858, 

AT   THE   FUNERAL   OF 

EEY.  PETER  LABAGH,  D.D. 


OTHER     MEN    LABORED,    AND    TE    ARE    ENTERED    INTO    THEIR    LABORS. 

John  4:  38. 

These  words  were  addressed  by  our  Lord  to  his  disciples  on  an 
interesting  occasion.  I  need  not,  before  such  an  audience,  dwell  on 
the  occasion,  or  go  into  an  extended  exposition  of  the  words  them- 
selves, or  of  the  words  which  compose  the  context.  It  is  quite  suf- 
ficient to  remark,  that  by  the  labors  of  other  men,  Jesus  Christ  in- 
tended the  labors  of  those  who  had  preceded  them  in  dispensing 
religious  instruction,  and  that  by  their  entrance  into  the  labors  of 
these  men  he  meant  to  convey  the  idea,  that  they  had  reaped,  and 
would  continue  to  reap  advantage  from  these  labors  in  their  sub- 
sequent courie  ;  nay,  that  these  previous  labors  would  serve  as  van- 
tage ground,  of  which  they  might  and  would  avail  themselves  in 
carrying  forward  the  great  and  glorious  cause  in  which  they  were 
engaged. 

The  fact  stated  in  the  text,  as  to  these  disciples,  brings  up  to 
view  a  law  applicable  to  the  race  of  which  we  form  a  part,  in 
obedience  to  which  we  move  along.     Men,  and  the  successive  gene- 


rations  of  men,  are  dependent  upon  each  other  for  success  in  their 
various  enterprises.  This  law  is  beautifully  and  strikingly  illus- 
trated and  confirmed  in  the  affairs  of  our  world.  One  man,  or  even 
one  whole  generation,  can  accomplish  little  of  itself.  Life  is  too 
short,  and  the  human  faculties  too  feeble  and  limited  in  their  scope. 
What  one  man  or  one  generation  commences,  is  but  a  rude,  imper- 
fect sketch,  that  must  be  extended,  improved  and  completed,  as 
well  as  enjoyed,  by  those  that  come  after. 

Parents  labor  for  their  children,  and  children  enter  into  the 
labors  of  their  parents.  They  enjoy  them  not  onl^',  but  if  they  are 
such  as  the}'  should  be,  they  extend  them,  taking  up  the  matter 
where  their  parents  were  compelled  to  leave  it.  The  hardy  pioneer 
levels  the  forest,  extends  his  clearings,  erects  his  log  cabin,  culti- 
vates as  well  as  he  can  the  patches  of  earth  laid  open  to  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  and  then  passes  away.  lie  has  done  his  work.  His 
successor  commences  where  he  ceased,  and  after  a  time  vou  see 
the  large,  well  cultivated  and  well  inclosed  farm,  and  the  stately 
mansion.  After  the  exertions  of  a  generation  or  two  of  such  men, 
you  see  the  smiling  village,  and  town,  and  city,  crowded  with  busy 
inhabitants. 

One  man  turns  his  attention,  perhaps  by  mere  accident,  to  the 
application  of  the  expansive  properties  of  steam  to  useful  purposes, 
and  after  many  fruitless  and  discouraging  experiments,  leaves  it  to 
another,  or  others,  who  gradually  succeed,  and  accomplish  that 
which  he  sighed  and  toiled  after  in  vain.  The  discovery  is  applied 
to  manufactures,  and  then,  by  some  other  inventive  genius,  to  navi- 
gation. The  first  attempts  are  imperfect,  awkward  and  unsatisfac- 
tory, but  at  length  the  majestic  steamer  is  seen  to  plough  her  way 
against  and  through  the  rapid  current  of  the  noble  river,  with  speed 
continually  increased  by  successive  improvements.  At  length  the 
daring  idea  is  entertained  of  crossing  the  ocean  itself  by  the  power 
of  steam,  and  it  is  realized.    Then  the  matter  is  taken  up  again,  and 


lo!  the  land  is  soon  covered  with  railways,  bearing  upon  them  lo- 
comotives with  their  appended  trains  of  cars,  moving  along  with 
almost  lightning  swiftness. 

One  other  reflecting  mind  surmises  tliat  tlie  electric  fluid  and 
the  lightning  of  heaven  are  essentially  the  same.  The  surmise,  after 
many  experiments,  is  found  to  be  fact,  and  dwellinirs  on  the  land 
and  ships  on  the  bosom  of  the  ocean  are  protected  by  the  insulated 
conductor.  Then  the  matter  is  taken  up  again  by  some  other  in- 
ventive genius,  other  applications  are  made  of  the  di.-covery,  and 
still  other  kindred  ones,  till  at  length  intelligence  is  swiftly  and 
surely  communicated  by  the  mysterious  electro-magnetic  telegraph 
from  one  distant  place  to  another,  and  from  continent  to  continent 
through  the  depths  of  the  ocean  itself,  and  the  President  of  this  great 
Eepublic  exchanges  hearty  congratulations  in  this  novel  and  won- 
drous mode  with  the  Sovereign  of  the  British  Isles.  These  are  only 
a  few  obvious  illustrations  of  the  law  suggested  by,  and  contained 
in,  the  text 

The  same  law  is  illustrated  and  confirmed  in  the  history  of  the 
Church  of  Ood.     The  patriarchal  Church,  with  her  distinguished 
men,  labored,  and  the  Church,  under  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  en- 
tered into  hor  labors.     The  Church,  under  the  Mosaic  dispensation, 
with  her  prophets  and  holy  men,  labored,  and  the  New  Testament 
Church   entered   into  her  labors.      The  Church,   in  her  millenial 
glory,  will  not  disdain  to  use  the  fruits  of  the  labors  of  the  Church 
in  our  day,  .'ind  will  but  be  the  full  development  of  the  one  blood- 
bought  Church ;  the  Church  brought  to  the  highest  perfection  of 
which  she  U  capable,  in  this  sin-stricken  and  benighted  world.    And 
what  will  t):e  Church  triumphant  in  heaven  be  but  the  finish  of  the 
whole  magnificent  scheme,  bringing  the  very  largest  measure  of 
glory  to  our  God  and  to  his  Christ     In  looking  back  through  the 
past  I  see  constant  labor,  and  the  entrance  into  that  labor  by  others  ; 
some  sowing  and  others  reaping,  and  these  again  sowing  for  the 


1 


306 


APPENDIX    C. 


benefit  of  those  who  are  to  follow,  each  taking  up  the  scheme 
where  it  has  been  left  by  the  others,  and  bearing  it  along,  and 
along,  and  along,  to  its  fullest  consummation. 

I  see  the  son  of  Zechariah,  and  those  of  his  day— nay,  the  bles- 
sed Master  himself,  entering  into  the  labors  of  the  patriarchs  and 
seers  Avho  had  preceded  them.     I  see  the  disciples  and  apostles  of 
our  Lord,  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit's  holy  unction,  entering 
into  the  labors  of  their  predecessors,  and  carrying  them  on  till  an 
impression  deep  and  ineffaceable  was  made  upon  every  part  of  the 
gigantic  Roman  Empire.     I  see  the  mighty  reformers,  Luther,  Zu- 
ingle,  Melancthon,  Calvin,  Knox  and  others  their  associates,  enter- 
ing into  the  labors  of  the  apostles,  and  primitive  teachers,  and  dis- 
ciples, and  snatching  with  an  holy  violence  the  scriptural  theology — 
the  apostolic  form  of  sound  words  once  delivered  to  the  saints  from 
the  mass  of  miserable  rubbish  in  which   it  had  been  imbedded  so 
long,  almost  to  suffocation  unto  death,  and  holding  it  up  with  fear- 
less hearts  and  vigorous  arms  to  the  view  of  their  deluded  cotem- 
poraries.    I  see  the  Puritans  and  evangelical  ministers  and  members 
of  the  Church  of  England,  and  that  of  Scotland  ;  the  Huguenots  of 
France  and  the  sufferers  of  Holland  entering  into  the  labors  of  the 
Reformers,  and  daring  imprisonment,  and  poverty,  and  exile,  and 
the  block,  and  the  stake,  and  carrying  onward  and  ui»ward  the 
glorious  cause.     I  see  (transferring  the  scene  of  operations  to  our 
own  beloved  land)  President  Edwards,  of  feeble,  pale,  attenuated 
frame,  but  of  colossal  intellect;  the  Tennents,  and  our  own  Fre- 
linghuysens,  of  blessed  memory,  having  from  time  to  time  associated 
with  them  the  eloquent  and  devoted  Whitefield,  with  his  soul  of 
fire,  entering  on  the  labors  of  those  preceding  them,  and  exerting 
an  influence  for  good,  especially  upon  this  region  of  country,  that 
has  been  perpetuated  to  this  very  day.     To  narrow  the  view  still 
further,  and  confining  it  to  our  own  beloved  Church,  I  see  a  Har- 
denbergh.  a  Meier,  a  Romeyn;  a  Froeligh,  with  a  clou<l  restJT.g  indeed 


I , 


1 1 


ll 


APPENDIX    C. 


307 


upon  the  latter  period  of  his  ministry,  yet  not  to  be  omitted  in  this 
list  of  worthies,  because  of  the  immense  influence  for  good  exerted 
by  a  number  of  ministers  of  our  Church  (the  deceased  being  one 
of  them)  who  were  under  his  training  ;  and  last,  though  not  least, 
John  H.  Livingston,  "  clarum  et  venerabile  nomen."  These  men 
entered  heartily  and  efficiently  into  the  labors  of  the  previous  dis- 
tinguished band  of  worthies,  and  carried  on  the  work  still  further. 
But  I  have  ray  ej'e  upon  a  class  still  nearer  to  our  own  times, 
and  laborers  in  this  very  region  of  country,  of  which  our  departed 
father  was  the  last  surviving  member ;  a  class  whose  memory  is 
still  fresh  and  fragrant  among  our  people.  Many  of  you  will  have 
anticipated  me  when  I  mention  the  names  of  Condict,  Smith,  Har- 
denbergh,  Yredenbergh,  Zabriskie,  Cannon  and  Labagh.  Who  can 
estimate  the  amount  of  good  produced  by  the  labors  of  these 
godly  men  through  their  preaching,  example,  intercourse  with  their 
people,  and  their  steady  and  persevering  efforts  to  maintain  scrip- 
tural truth,  order  and  discipline  among  the  Churches  under  their 
pastoral  care.  Truly  those  who  have  succeeded  them  in  their  re- 
spective spheres  of  labor  ought  to  be  grateful,  for  they  must  have 
felt  often  that  their  way  has  been  greatly  smoothed  and  facilitated 
by  those  who  went  before  them.  The  preacher,  at  least,  knows  and 
feels  his  obligations,  and  is  ready  frankly  to  acknowledge  the  debt 
he  owes  them  ;  and  he  is  not  alone  in  this  feeling.  The  question  is 
not  whether  these  men  might  not  have  done  more,  and  done  it 
better.  Tliey  were  doubtless  imperfect  men,  and  would  have  been 
among  the  first  to  acknowledge  it  and  to  avow  their  short-comings. 
But  did  they  not  accomplish  much — very  much  ?  Let  the  state  of 
this  part  of  the  Church,  as  they  in  succession  left  it,  be  compared 
with  the  state  of  other  parts,  and  let  credit,  under  God,  be  given 
where  it  is  due. 

But  there  is  still  a  view  to  be  taken  which  brings  the  deceased 
into  a  closer  connection  with  a  few  of  us  here  present,  and  is  a  more 


I 


308 


APPENDIX     C. 


affecting  and  impressive  illustration  and  enforcement  of  the  text. 
He  was  the  immediate  predecessor  of  the  present  pastor  of  the 
Harlingen  Church,  This  brother  has  directly  entered  into  the 
labors  of  this  venerable  man,  and  has  seen  results  in  the  written 
record,  and  in  the  state  of  the  people  of  his  charge,  of  his  past 
labors.  Some  of  those,  whose  intercourse  with  the  deceased  was 
intimate,  are  still  among  the  living:  and  some  of  those,  too,  who 
were  associated  with  him  in  the  government  of  the  Church.  Many 
who  were  indoctrinated  by  him  in  their  youth,  in  his  catechetical 
and  Bible  classes,  have  grown  up  to  maturity.  To  what  he  has  seen 
this  brother  is  ready  to  bear  testimony.  He  is  not  the  man  to  con- 
ceal or  to  disparage  the  measure  of  usefulness  to  which  his  prede- 
cessor was  enabled,  through  the  divine  blessing,  to  atUiin.  That 
measure  was  not  small. 

The  little  but  active,  spirited  and  liberal  Churches  of  Blawen- 
burgh,  Griggstown  and  Rocky  Hill  are,  for  the  most  part,  shoots 
from  the  parent  stock  of  the  Church  of  Harlingen.  The  members 
of  these  Churches,  for  the  most  part,  or  their  predecessors  or  parents, 
have  been  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  deceased.  He  had  much  to 
do  in  their  organization,  and  felt  a  deep  interest  in  their  prosperity  to 
the  end  of  his  life.  The  pastors  of  these  Churches  have  entered  more 
or  less  directly  into  his  labors,  and  must  have  witnessed  the  results 
of  them,  and  must  hare  been  benefited  by  them  greatly. 

As  to  myself,  he  was  one  of  my  predecessoi-s,  for  he  was  for  a 
number  of  years  associated  with  the  estimable  and  revered  William 
Richmond  Smith  as  pastor  of  the  Church  now  under  my  care.  My 
testimony^,  so  far  as  it  is  worth  any  thing,  is  explicit  and  full,  and 
most  cordially  and  cheerfully  given.  I  can  distinctly  perceive 
traces  and  results  of  the  faithful  labors  of  these  excellent  men 
among  my  people  to  thi*i  day. 

A  few  facts  relating  to  the  deceased,  in  the  form  of  a  brief  bio- 
graphical sketch,  will  no  doubt  be  acceptable,  and  may  be  useful. 


1 1 


1 

J 


Tlie  Rev.  Dr.  Peter  Labagh  was  born  of  religious  parents,  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  on  the  10th  of  November,  IIIZ.     In  the  early 
part  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,   when  the  British  army  took 
possession  of  New  York,  his  parents,  being  strongly  attached  to  the 
cause  of  the  colonists,  removed  to  Hackensack,  in  this  State.     His 
father  was  of  German  descent.     His  mother  was  a  descendent  of 
the  French  Huguenots,  highly  intelligent  and  devotedly  pious.    Her 
family  name  was  Ozee.     He  was  accustomed  to  speak  of  her  with 
marked  interest  and  affection.     She  must  have  been  truly  a  mother 
in  Israel.     He  dated  his  religious  exercises  as  far  back  as  memory 
extended.     To  use  his  own  language:  "They  were  not  like  those 
of  the  rhilippian  jailor,  but  more  like  those  of  Lydia,  whose  heart 
the  Lord  opened,  so  that  she  attended  to  the  things  which  were 
spoken  of  Paul"     All  this  he  traced,  as  many  other  good  men  have 
done,  to  the  early  faithful  religious  instructions  and  the  Christian 
example  of  his  sainted  mother,  as  the  means  in  the  hands  of  God. 
He  was  unable  to  designate  the  precise  time  of  his  conversion,  but 
he  was  added  to  the  communion  of  the  Church   soon  after   he 
entered  upon  his   theological  course.     He  thought  he  could  see 
plainly  a  special  Providence  ordering  his  whole  course,  especially 
from  the  commencement  of  his  education  in  the  higher  branches  of 
study.     His  excellent  mother  before  him  had  been  always  a  parti- 
cular observer  of  the  movements  of  the  wonder-working  providence 
of  God. 

He  commenced  his  classical  education  in  the  Academy  at  Hack- 
ensack at  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  continued  there  for  about 
three  years.  Then  he  became  connected  with  Erasmus  Hall,  in 
Flatbush,  L.  I.,  at  that  time  under  the  care  of  that  ripe  and  dis- 
tinguished scholar,  Peter  Wilson,  LL.D.  Here  he  continued  two 
years,  acting  in  the  two-fold  capacity  of  tutor  and  pupil.  The 
course  of  instruction,  though  academical,  seems,  from  the  account 
he  gave,  to  have  been  quite  full  and  comprehensive,  embracing  the 


310 


APPENDIX    C. 


Latin  and  Greek  classics;  Mathematics,  in  its  different  branches; 
Belles-lettre,  Logic,  and  Natural  Philosophy ;  the  text-book  in  this  lat- 
ter branch  being  Enfield.  Taking  into  view  the  character  of  the 
principal.  Dr.  Wilson,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  mode  of 
instruction  was  careful  and  thorough,  as  well  as  full  and  compre- 
hensive. This  will  account  for  the  correctness  and  precision,  and, 
I  may  add,  finish,  which  he  could  impart  to  his  train  of  thought 
and  style,  whether  written  or  spoken,  studied  or  unpremeditated, 
when  he  felt  disposed  to  exert  himself. 

After  leaving  the  Academy,  he  commenced  the  study  of  theology, 
under  the  Rev.  Dr.  Solomon  Froeligh,  at  Schraalenburgh,  in  our  State, 
then  one  of  the  Professors  appointed  by  the  Synod  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  to  train  up  her  young  men  for  the  ministry.  Here 
he  continued  for  two  years,  and  then  finished  his  course  by  pursuing 
his  studies  for  two  months  longer  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Pro- 
fessor John  H.  Livingston,  at  Bedford,  on  Long  Island.  In  July, 
1796,  at  the  age  of  somewhere  about  twenty-three,  he  was  licensed 
to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  by  the  Classis  of  Hackensack, 
and  on  the  same  month  was  ordained  a  minister  by  a  conmiittee  of 
the  same  Classis,  having  received  a  call,  through  the  Particular  Sy- 
nod, from  a  Dutch  settlement  at  Salt  River,  in  the  state  of  Ken- 
tucky. He  had  before  this  engaged  to  visit  that  people  and  country, 
as  a  missionary.  Previously,  however,  to  his  commencing  his  long 
journey  (long  in  those  days,  when  there  were  no  facilities  for  travel- 
ing such  as  we  possess),  he  was,  unexpectedly,  invited  to  engage  in 
a  mission  to  western  IS'ew  York,  to  the  new  scattered  settle- 
ments of  Dutch  people  in  that  region.  In  this  enterprise  he  was 
connected  with  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Sickles.  Their  mission  was  limited 
to  six  weeks,  during  which  time  they  visited  the  settlements  and 
organized  two  Churches,  one  at  Owasco  and  another  at  Chenango. 
In  October  he  returned  to  Hackensack. 

In  November  following  he  bade  farewell  to  parents  and  friends, 


1 1 


li 


and  commenced  his  journey  to  Kentucky,  but  did  not  reach  the 
place  of  his  destination  until  February,  ll9l,  owing  to  several  im- 
pediments on  the  way.  He  described  his  reception  by  the  people 
as  having  been  most  cordial  and  affectionate.  He  remained  with 
them  ten  weeks,  organized  a  Church  and  visited  all  the  families. 
He  set  out  for  home  and  arrived  the  last  of  May,  and  made  his  re- 
port to  the  Synod.  His  intention  was  to  return  to  the  Church  he 
bad  organized,  but  some  prudential  considerations  induced  him  to 
change  his  purpose. 

He  settled  at  Catskill  in  May,  1V98,  and  continued  to  serve  that 
Church,  in  connection  with  the  Church  at  Oak  Hill,  for  eleven  years. 
In  1809  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  united  congregations  of  Har- 
lingen  and  New  Shannick,  as  a  colleague  of  the  Rev.  William  R. 
Smith.     Mr.  Smith  deceased  in  February,  1820.     In  1821  the  col- 
legiate connection  between  the  Churches  of  Harlingen  and  New 
Shannick  was  dissolved,  and  Dr.  Labagh  became  the  pastor  of  the 
Harlingen  Church  alone.     Scarcely  was  there  a  communion  season 
on  which  a  larger  or  smaller  number  were  not  added  to  the  Church 
during  his  ministry  in  Harlingen,  but  in  the  years  1830  and  1831, 
that  Church  was  favored  with  a  precious  and  extensive  revival  of 
religion,  during  which  more  than  100  members  were  added  to  its 
communion.     The  results  of  that  interesting  work  are  yet  clearly 
visible.     So  far  as  the  preacher  has  been  able  to  ascertain  from  the 
records,  at  least  400  members  must  have  been  added  by  profession 
alone,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  deceased.     In  1844  he  resigned 
his  call,  with  the  consent  of  the  Classis,  and  preached  his  farewell 
sermon  on  the  10th  of  November,  on  which  day  he  entered  upon 
his  '72nd  year.     His  resignation  was  not  owing  to  any  decay  of  his 
faculties,  but  to  a  failure  of  voice,  which  rendered  much  of  what 
he  said  inaudible  to  his  congregation.    In  1846  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him,  by  the  trustees  of 
Marshall  College,  Mercersburg,  Pa. 


Dr.  Labagii  was  twice  married;  first  to  Magdalen  Van  Alen, 
of  Blooming  Grove,  near  Albany,  May,  1798.  The  union  was  not 
a  protracted  one,  for  she  died  August,  1805.  In  October,  180S,  he 
was  married  to  Maria  Schoonmaker,  who  survives  to  mourn  his 
departure,  after  a  happy  union  of  more  than  half  a  century. 

After  resigning  his  charge,  he  continued,  when  opportunity  was 
afforded,  to  preach  the  truth  he  loved,  and  to  promote,  as  he  could, 
the  cause  of  the  Master  he  had  so  long  served.  But  bodily  infirmi- 
ties gradually  increased  upon  him.  These  did  not,  however,  for 
several  years,  much  impede  the  exercise  of  his  mind.  His  foculties, 
with  the  exception  of  his  memory,  remained  in  a  good  degree  sound, 
80  that  he  was  still  useful,  and  comfortable.  Within  the  past  year, 
however,  his  mind  seemed  more  and  more  to  sympathize  with  his 
enfeebled  body.  A  strange  confusion  of  thought,  the  stranger, 
because  of  its  previous  singular  clearness;  a  blending  of  the  past 
with  the  present,  seemed  to  indicate  that  his  course  wouUl  either 
soon  be  ended,  or  that  he  would  sink  into  a  state  of  utter  dotage. 
But  from  this  last  condition,  one  that  would  have  been  so  trying, 
he  was  mercifully  exempted.  After  the  attack  of  disease  which 
befel  him  on  the  evening  of  the  15th  of  October,  while  engaged  in 
conducting  the  worship  of  the  family,  he  was,  for  the  most  part, 
insensible  to  every  thing  around  him,  scarcely  recognizing  his  near- 
est relatives,  and  most  intimate  friends.  He  gradually  sank  lower 
and  still  lower,  till  on  Monday,  the  25th,  at  9  a.  m.,  his  spirit  was 
released,  and  took  its  flight  for  glory.  He  was  the  last  of  the 
family  circle  to  which  he  more  immediately  belonged.  His  remains 
lie  before  us,  to  be  committed  to  the  tomb,  but  Jesus,  who  is  the 
resurrection  and  the  life,  will  watch  over  them,  with  a  faithfulness 
all  his  own,  for  they  are  in  covenant,  as  well  as  the  spirit  that  once 
animated  them,  and  we  look  forward  with  the  fullest  confidence,  to 
the  time  when  this  corruptible  shall  put  on  incorruption,  and  this 
mortal  immortalitv. 


Something,  in  the  way  of  a  delineation  of  the  character  of  this 
venerable  and  estimable  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  may  not  be  out  of 
place.  What  is  attempted  will  not  be  unmixed,  indiscriminate 
eulogy,  but  as  exact  a  portrait  as  possible,  including  shades,  as  well 
as  lights.  He  can  well  afford  to  be  dealt  with  after  this  manner. 
The  preacher  claims  to  be  better  acquainted  with  the  deceased,  than 
perhaps  any  one,  outside  of  his  immediate  circle  of  relations,  be- 
cause of  very  frequent,  intimate  intercourse  with  him,  for  more  than 
thirty-seven  years,  in  great  diversity  of  circumstances. 

Dr.  Labagh  was  endowed  with  a  mind  naturally  of  a  high  order. 
His  apprehension  and  perceptions  were  remarkably  quick,  his  judg- 
ment sound,  his  memory  not  only  capacious,  and  retentive,  but 
unusually  ready  (I  speak  of  him  of  coui-se  as  he  was  in  his  prime), 
and  his  taste  correct,  nay  delicate,  though  his  appearance  might 
not  seem  to  indicate  it.  His  faculties  too,  were  well  balanced,  and 
there  was  a  large  vein,  of  what  is  generally  called  common  sense, 
running  through  his  whole  mental  structure.  He  had  great  powers 
of  invention,  selection,  combination  and  expression.  He  never 
seemed  at  a  loss  about  any  thing,  that  was  at  all  within  his  sphere, 
and  that  was  called  for  by  the  occasion.  Few  excelled  him  con- 
sequently in  unpremeditated  speech,  in  retort  and  repartee.  In 
these  latter,  he  was  quick  as  the  lightning's  flash,  and  very  few, 
indeed,  could  compete  with  him.  But  the  superiority  of  his  native 
powers  was  his  snare.  He  easily  gained,  digested,  and  worked  up 
for  use,  the  knowledge  that  was  immediately  needed,  and  he  looked 
no  further.  He  was  too  easily  satisfied.  He  could  not  be  called  a 
diligent,  close,  methodical,  persevering  student,  and  hence  he  stood 
below  many  men,  of  his  day,  whose  native  powers  would  not  for  a 
moment,  bear  a  comparison  with  his.  He  had,  however,  made 
himself  master  of  some  standard  works,  more  immediately  connected 
with  his  profession,  and  he  belonged  to  a  class  of  men,  who  are 
keen  observers  of  men  and  things,  and  of  the  workings  of  their 

14 


3U 


appp:ndix   c. 


I 


own  minds,  who  make  the  most  of  every  thing  they  see,  and  hear, 
and  read,  and  whose  thoughts  are  always  on  the  stretch,  wherever 
they  may  chance  to  be.  Hence  he  knew  much  that  was  valuable, 
and  kaew  also  how  to  use  what  he  had  gained,  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. But  those  who  knew  hira  well,  and  of  what  he  was  capable, 
always  regretted,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  often  regretted  himself 
that  he  had  not  cultivated,  and  disciplined,  and  stored  his  mind, 
to  a  greater  extent 

Aa  a  preacher,  he  was  always  scriptural,  pertinent,  direct,  judi- 
cious and  edifying.     His  discourses  had  much  of  the  practical  and 
experimental  elements   in  them.      He  had  no  corruscations;    no 
fancy  sketches;  nothing  to  thrill,  to  produce  smiles,  or  draw  forth 
tears  ;  nothing  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  careless — the  butter- 
flies of  the  day.     He  knew,  however,  how  to  appreciate  these  pow- 
ers in  others,  when  discreetly  used.    He  was  the  preacher  for  those 
who  came  to  him  for  the  purpose  of  being  profited,  and  such  never 
went  away  disappointed.     The  lambs  and  sheep,  especially,  were 
always  fed,  and  that,  too,  with  food  the  most  suitable  and  nourish- 
ing.     His  discourses  would   undoubtedly  have  been  of  a   much 
higher  order,  had  he  labored  them  more  with  the  aid  of  the  pen. 
Here  his  facility  in  thinking,  and  expressing  himself,  were  again  a 
snare,  and  prevented  that  high  order  of  sermonizing,  to  which  ho 
might  easily  have  attained.     I  am  satisfied  of  this,  from  some  speci- 
mens, which  I  have  heard,  and  read,  of  his  more  elaborate  composi- 
tions.    During  the  earlier  part  of  his  ministry  he  wrote  out  his  dis- 
courses,  except  the   applications ;    but  afterwards,   he   preached 
from  a  tolerably  full  and  extended  sketch;  and  he  sometimes  ven- 
tured into  the  pulpit,  perhaps  too  often,  with  an  outline,  formed  in 
his  mind,  on  a  text,  which  had  suggested  itself  only  a  short  time 
before  it  was  necessary  to  use  it.    This  would  have  been  utterly 
ruinous  to  most  men  ;  but  he  could  bear  it,  for  his  powers  of  im- 
provisation never  failed  him ;  yet  there  was  no  rambling,  no  repe- 


li 


APPENDIX   0. 


315 


titions,  no  twaddle,  even  in  his  extemporaneous  effusions,  but  well 
selected,  well  arranged,  condensed,  compact  thought,  expressed  in 
language  that  would  have  read  well,  had  it  been  taken  down  from 
his  lips  by  a  stenographer,  and  committed  to  the  press,  with  little 
or  no  alteration.  His  voice  had  no  music ;  but  was  rather  harsh 
and  grating  to  the  ear,  especially  when  he  became  earnest.  His 
action  was  far  from  graceful,  and  his  general  appearance  by  no 
means  prepossessing,  (and  he  was  altogether  careless  about  it),  yet 
there  was  a  naturalness,  an  honesty,  an  emphasis,  a  downright  ear- 
nestness about  him,  when  he  dispensed  God's  truth,  that,  if  j'ou  had 
any  power  of  attention  or  appreciation  about  you,  any  thing  that 
could  be  taken  hold  of  in  you,  compelled  you  to  give  him  a  hearing, 
impressed  you,  and  drew  forth  your  confidence.  You  instinctively 
said  to  yourself,  as  you  looked  at,  and  listened  to  him,  "Tljere  is  a 
man  of  God  that  understands  his  subject,  feels  it  deeply,  and  is 
anxious  that  I  should  understand  and  feel  it  too."  But  he  was,  per- 
haps, peculiarly  interesting,  and  most  in  his  element,  when  with 
his  Bible  class  before  him,  composed  mainly  of  the  youth  of  his 
charge,  whom  he  loved  to  indoctrinate,  he  dwelt  upon  an  extended 
portion  of  the  "Word,  taken  from  the  sacred  history,  and  directed 
their  attention  to  its  practical  bearings  and  applications.  How 
many  there  are  in  that  congregation  to  which  he  once  ministered, 
that  can  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of  all  this. 

He  was  very  much  at  home  on  the  floor  of  a  deliberative  ecclesi- 
astical assembly,  and  with  such  assemblies  he  delighted  to  mingle. 
When  the  debate  grew  warm,  and  there  was  an  increasing  differ- 
ence of  opinion,  he  was  not  the  man  to  stand  aloof,  or  to  remain 
silent;  and  he  was  always  listened  to  with  respect  and  confidence, 
by  his  brethren,  for  he  always  threw  out  what  was  calculated  to 
solve  difficulties  and  disentangle  complications.  The  structure  of 
his  mind  and  his  habits  well  fitted  him  for  playing  a  distinguished 
part  on  such  an  arena.     There  must  be  a  peculiar  activity  and 


316 


APPENDIX     C. 


sprightliness  of  nnnd,  a  fertility  of  expedient,  a  copiousness  of  re- 
sources, a  good  degree  of  self-possession  and  fluency  of  speecli  in 
any  one  who  would  excel  in  such  a  position,  and  he  had  all  these 
in  a  measure  larger  than  most  men.  He  was  always  on  the  spot, 
and  he  made  himself  to  be  felt,  when  he  was  there.  We  of  the 
Classis  of  Philadelphia  always  looked  toward  him,  instinctively, 
when  any  matter  was  under  consideration  that  was  new,  or  perplex- 
ing, and  when  he  happened  to  be  absent,  which  was  rarely  the 
case,  till  his  infirmities  grew  upon  him,  we  hardly  felt  competent 
or  prepared  to  go  on — we  hardly  felt  that  we  were  a  duly  ap- 
pointed «cclesiastical  body.  He  was  so  punctual  in  attendance, 
that  we  calculated  upon  seeing  him,  as  a  matter  of  course.  The 
preacher  recollects,  that  at  the  last  spring  meeting,  though  en- 
compassed and  bowed  down  with  fast  gathering  infirmities,  he  ap- 
peared among  us,  in  spite  of  a  storm,  which  many  a  young,  strong, 
healthy  man,  might  have  regarded  ad  a  very  sufficieut  reason  for 
absence. 

He  loved  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  all  its  divisions,  and, 
while  ho  was  a  pastor,  was  importunate  with  his  people,  heedless 
of  their  displeasure,  in  pressing  upon  them  the  various  objects,  ne- 
cessary to  be  fostered,  by  their  contributions  and  their  prayers, 
always  setting  them  an  example  of  liberality.  This  liberality  he 
continued  to  practice  to  the  last,  and  to  the  last,  manifested  a  deep 
interest,  in  whatever  was  calculated  to  advance  the  cause  of  the 
Divine  Redeemer,  at  home  and  abroad. 

But  he  loved  that  portion  of  the  Church,  to  which  he  more  im- 
mediately belonged,  with  an  intensity  felt  by  few.  He  was  a  faith- 
ful son  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church ;  one  eminently  so.  I  know 
not  that  any  one  will  dare  to  charge  him  with  sectarianism,  bigotry, 
or  uncharitableness,  for  he  manifested  and  expressed,  as  well  as 
felt,  an  affection  for  all  who  held  th«  essential  doctrines  of  the  reli- 
gion of  Christ ;  but  the  denominational  spirit  was  very  strong  in 


APPENDIX    C. 


317 


him.  He  did  much,  along  with  many  of  her  sons,  of  kindred  spirit, 
who  have  preceded  him,  at  longer  or  shorter  intervals,  in  their  pas- 
sage to  the  world  of  glory,  to  advance  her  interests ;  and  now  I  can 
imagine  a  renewal  of  their  sweet  fellowship — a  fellowship  far 
sweeter  than  the  Church  on  earth  knows  of,  for  it  is  the  fellowship 
of  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect.  He  was  eager  for  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Church  of  his  affections,  and  jealous  for  her  rights ; 
surveying,  moreover,  with  eagle  eyes,  any  spot,  within  her  bounds 
or  near  them,  that  might  be  seized  by  the  members  of  soine  other 
communion,  and  urging  its  immediate  appropriation  by  ourselves. 
Some  of  us  thought,  sometimes,  that  he  carried  this  matter  a  little 
too  far,  and  were  sometimes  a  little  chafed,  but  his  intentions  were 
unquestionably  good,  his  motives  pure;  and  in  most  cases,  though 
not  in  all,  the  result  has  justified  his  views  and  measures. 

Dr.  Labagh  was  strongly  conservative  in  his  views  and  tenden- 
cies. He  held  on  to  old  landmarks  of  doctrine,  and  measures,  and 
order,  with  a  hearty,  old  fashioned  grasp.  He  was  not  given  to 
change.  He  might  be  said,  with  truth,  to  abhor  innovations ;  but 
he  made  a  difference  between  innovations  and  improvements.  If 
you  suggested  any  thing  new,  that  was  likely  to  be  useful,  and  that 
did  not  conflict  with  scriptural  teaching,  he  was  ready  to  consider 
it  at  once,  and  to  deal  with  it  according  to  its  merits.  I  have  heard 
him  say,  in  that  frank  and  liberal  spirit,  which,  to  the  end,  was  a 
most  beautiful  feature  in  his  character,  "Convince  me,  brethren, 
that  this  is  right  and  beneficial,  and  I  will  go  into  it  along  with  you 
with  all  my  heart;"  and  he  was  really,  and  not  in  mere  pretence, 
open  to  conviction.  I  have  often  had  occasion  to  remark,  how  lit- 
tle of  the  spirit  of  the  old  man,  and  how  much  of  that  of  the  young 
man  he  carried  with  him  even  into  extreme  old  age. 

He  was  pleasant  in  his  family  circle.  I  need  not  say  what  he 
was  as  a  husband,  a  father,  a  brother.  There  was  a  cheerfulness,  a 
kindness,  a  faithfulness,  a  considerateness,  a  playfulness,  that  must 


318 


APPENDIX    C. 


have  endeared,  and  I  know  did  endear  him,  to  them  all.  Though 
he  was  far  advanced  in  life,  and  knowing  as  they  did  that  the  sepa- 
ration could  not  long  be  deferred,  when  the  blow  actually  fell  at 
last,  they  were  not  quite  ready  for  it,  and  would  fain  have  retained 
hira  yet  a  little  longer  among  them.  "  How  mercies  brighten  as 
they  take  their  flight."  How  little  we  appreciate  the  good  we  pos- 
sess, till  it  is  removed,  or  is  about  to  be  removed  from  us.  But  he 
has  •'  come  to  his  end,  as  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe,  cometh  in  in  its 
season."  His  work  has  been  done  long  since,  and  he  had  drained 
the  cup  of  life  to  its  dreg^.  It  was  better,  infinitely  better,  for  him 
to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ.  His  condition  prevented  him 
from  uttering  an  intelligent,  distinct  and  full  testimony,  as  to  the 
yalue  of  the  truth,  and  the  preciousness  and  faithfulness  of  the  Sa- 
viour, on  a  sick  bed  and  at  the  portals  of  eternity.  This  would  no 
doubt  have  been  pleasant  and  edif^-ing.  But  God,  the  good,  the 
wise,  ordered  it  otherwise,  and  we  ought  to  be,  and  are,  satisfied 
with  the  testimony  he  uttered  through  many  a  year,  even  till  he 
was  stricken  with  disease,  while  bowing  the  knee  before  his  God  in 
prayer.  The  voice  of  prayer,  as  to  him.  has  been  changed  into 
that  of  ceaseless,  fervent  praise,  before  the  throne  of  God  and  the 
Lamb. 

Our  departed  father  was  a  man  of  an  exceedingly  social  disposi- 
tion. He  had  nothing  of  the  recluse  about  him.  He  loved  to  mingle 
with  his  fellows,  and  there  was  a  pleasantness  about  him,  a  flow  of 
spirits,  a  fund  of  anecdote,  a  turn  for  harmless  raillery  and  humor 
which  rendered  his  intercourse  agreeable  to  all  ages.  He  prized 
the  society  of  his  people,  when  he  had  a  charge,  and  was  much  with 
them.  He  prized  too,  very  much,  the  society  of  his  brethren  in  the 
ministry.  He  had  indeed,  an  abruptness  about  him,  a  power  of 
satire  and  sarcasm,  which  sometimes  rendered  him  a  little  formida- 
ble to  sensitive  natures.  There  have  been  cases,  no  doubt,  in  which 
his  abruptness,  and  his  sarcastic  and  satirical  strokes  have  occasioned 


APPENDIX    C. 


319 


pain.  But  he  certainly  had  no  evil  intention  in  what  he  said.  It 
arose  not  from  bitterness  of  feeling,  but  was  only  the  natural  and 
easy  exercise  of,  or  a  giving  way  to,  the  tendencies  which  belonged 
to  the  man,  without,  perhaps,  his  being  aware  of  what  he  was  say- 
ing, or  of  the  effects  it  was  likely  to  produce.  In  order  to  know 
him,  it  was  necessary  to  come  near  him;  and  he  belonged  to  a  class 
of  men,  who  are  valued  in  proportion  as  they  are  better  known.  I 
will  not  hesitate  to  say  from  long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with 
him,  that  in  reality  a  more  kind,  genial,  affectionate,  sympathizing 
spirit,  rarely  animated  a  human  frame.  And  how  easy  it  was  for 
him  to  turn  the  conversation  into  a  religious  channel.  There  was, 
when  he  did  this  of  his  own  accord,  or  was  drawn  by  others  to 
do  it,  no  effort,  nothing  forced,  when  he  spoke  of  the  things  which 
pertain  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  These  things  were  matters  which 
evidently  lay  near  his  heart,  and  subjects  of  his  frequent  medita- 
tion, especially  toward  the  close  of  his  life. 

The  Church  has  lost  one  of  her  best  men  ;  and  she  would  feel 
it  more,  had  she  lost  him  suddenly.  But  he  has  been  cut  off,  in  a 
good  degree,  for  some  years,  from  the  scenes  where  he  at  a  pre- 
vious period  of  his  life  was  often  seen  and  busied.  We  have  been 
compelled  to  forego  his  counsels  and  aid,  and  have  learned  through 
necessity,  to  some  extent,  to  do  without  him.  This  we  find  to  be 
necessary  often  in  this  world  of  change  and  death,  but  it  is  far  from 
being  easy. 

The  Church  will  not  forget  the  past  usefulness  of  our  departed 
father,  but  will  cherish  his  memory.  And  we,  my  brethren  in 
the  ministry,  will  think  of  him  as  another  laborer,  fallen,  after  hav- 
ing labored  for  years,  that  we  might  enter  into  his  labors  ;  that  we 
might  enjoy  them  and  improve  upon  them.  "We  will  think  of  him 
as  still  another  light,  which  after  flickering  for  a  while,  and  grow- 
ing dimmer  and  dimmer,  has  at  length  gone  out  entirely,  to  be 
rekindled  in  another  higher  sphere,  to  burn  on,  with  a  radiance 


that  will  not  be  extinguished,  or  even  dimmed,  for  ever.  We  have 
seen  light  after  light  put  out  from  time  to  time,  burning  and  shining 
lights — put  out  one  after  another,  in  alas!  too  quick  6ucc'es>ion,  for 
our  comfort  God  would  admonish  us  who  are  yet  left  here  for  a 
time,  that  we  maj'  ray  out  a  little  more  light,  into  the  dense  sur- 
rounding darkness;  He  would,  I  say,  admonish  us  to  trim  our  lights 
thoroughly,  and  to  remove  every  thing  that  can  tend  to  intercept 
one  solitary  ray;  He  would  admonish  us  so  to  let  our  light  shine, 
that  we,  to  some  extent,  may  answer  the  great  end  for  which  we 
have  been  fixed  in  our  different  positions. 

Bow  glorious  and  acimatirg  the  truth,  that  there  is  one  liglit 
that  will  not,  that  can  not,  go  out — the  uncreated — the  unchanging 
light — the  everlasting  Sun  of  Righteousness,  from  which  all  inferior, 
subordinate  lights  derive  their  power  to  shine.  The  Church  is  sure 
of  the  continuance  of  this  light  unto  the  end,  and  that  it  will  pour 
it3  rays  down,  and  around,  upon  islands  and  continents,  upon  na- 
tions and  people,  till  there  will  not  be  one  solitary  dark  place  upon 
the  surface  of  the  whole  earth,  and  one  prolonged  shout  shall  be  heard 
emulating  ten  thousand  peals  of  thunder:  Alleluinh!  for  the  Lord 
God  Omnipotent  reigneth.  The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become 
the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ,  and  he  shall  reign  for 
ever  and  ever.     Amen. 


i 


INDEX. 

PAOB 

Abeel,  Dr.  John  N.,  urges  Dr.  Labagh  to  accept  the  Kentucky 

mission 29 

Alexander,  Dr.  Archibald,  extract  from  the  "  Log  College"  of,  103 

American  Board.     See  Foreign  Missions. 

Annin,  Joseph,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible 

Society 70 

Associate  Reformed  Church.     See  Church. 

Bayard,  John  M.,  and  Samuel,  two  of  the  founders  of  Somerset 

County  Bible  Society 69 

Beattie,  Rev.  John,  appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada 51 

Beekman,  Capt.  Samuel,  referred  to 252 

Bethune,  Dr.  George  W.,  letter  of,  in  regard  to  Dr.  Labagh. . . .  257 

Bible  Societies,  origin  of 68 

Bible  Society,  American,  organization  of 68 

Sentiments  of  Dr.  Labagh  in  regard  to 138 

New  Jersey,  suggests  the  formation  of  the  American 
Bible  Society 68 

Somerset  County,  organization  of 67 

Blair,  Francis  P.  Sr.  and  Jr.,  referred  to 102 

Rev.  John  and  Samuel,  relatives  of  Rev.  Wm.  R.  Smith,  102 
Blawenburgh,  Reformed  Dutch   Church  of,  organization  and 

history  of 1 67 

Referred  to 188 

14* 


322  INDEX. 

FAS! 

Bogg3,  Rev.  John,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible 

Society 10 

Bonaparte,  Napoleon,  referred  to 127,  209 

Bork,  Rev.  Christian,  appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada 49 

Boudinot,  Hon.  Elias,  President  of  New  Jersey  Bible  Society.  .     68 
Piopopes  organization  of  American  Bible  Society. ...     68 
Bradford,  Dr.  John  M  ,  President  of  General  Synod  of  1814. . .     74 
Signs  the  proposed  plan  of  union  with  Associate  Re- 
formed Church 96 

Brevoort,  Henry,  referred  to 208 

Brinkerhoff,   Rev.    George    G.,  assists  at  Dr.  Labagh's  ordina- 
tion  36,  38 

Brodhead,  Dr.  Jacob,  incident  at  the  death  of 284 

Brownlee,  Dr.  William  C,  referred  to 1-13 

Caldwell,  Rev.  James  and  wife,  murder  of  by  British  soldiers,  81 

Canada,  Reformed  Dutch  Churches  in 40,  45 

Cannon,  Captain,  referred  to 207 

Dr.  James  S.,  referred  to 22 

Classmate  of  Dr.  Labagh  at  Schraalenburgh 29 

Delegate  to  Synod  of  German  Reformed  Church 66 

Inaugurates  correspondence  with  that  body 67 

One   of  the   founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible  So- 
ciety   70 

Commissioner  to  confer  with  Commissioners  of  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  Church 91 

Preaches  at  Griggstown 199 

Anecdote  in  regard  to 200 

DiflSculty  in  finding  his  text 201 

Intercourse  witli  Dr.  Labagh 203 

Failure  of  health  of 204 

Communication  of  to  General  Synod 204 

Last  sickness  and  death  of 206 


INDEX. 


323 


Txan 

Funeral  of 205 

Relative  ages  of  himself  and  Dr.  Labagh 207 

Sketch  of  the  life  of 207 

Referred  to 233 

Chambers,  Dr.  Talbot  W.,  preaches  at  an  ordination 197 

Christian  Intelligencer,  extract  from 133 

Church,  Associate  Reformed,  proposed  union  of  with  Reformed 

Dutch  Church 87 

Further  proposition  and  effort  toward  the  same  end,     94 

Failure  of  the  plan 97 

Communion,  importance  of  caution  in  admitting  to. .   175 

Judicatories,  importance  of  attending 177 

German  Reformed,  enters  into  correspondence  with  the 

Reformed  Dutch  Church 67 

Termination  of  the  correspondence  and  causes  of. . . . .     67 
Official  documents  relating  to  the  termination,  Ap- 
pendix A 267 

Presbyterian,  General  Assembly  of,  complaint  of  Gen- 
eral Synod  to 142 

Amicable  adjustment  of  difficulties  with 143 

Fraternal  correspondence  with  General  Synod 144 

Reformed  Dutch,  early  efforts  of  to  extend  the  Gospel,     40 

Results  of  efforts 44 

Churches  of,  in  Canada 40,  45 

Efforts  of  to  supply  them  with  ministers 49 

Number  and  condition  of  churches  of,  in  Canada 63 

A  Church  of,  organized  in  Kentucky 59 

Enters  into  correspondence  with  German  Reformed 

Church 67 

Termination  of  correspondence  and  causes  of 67 

Official  documents  relating  to  the   termination,  Ap- 
pendix A 267 


= -^smummst  'iiAm^Mm-iegmsmim'^y: 


324  INDEX. 

Proposed  union  of  with  Associate  Reformed  Church. .     87 
Further  proposition  and  effort  toward  the  same  end. .     94 

Failure  of  the  plan 9? 

Reorganization  of  Theological  Seminary  of 113 

Connection  of,  with  the  American  Beard 138 

Dissolution  of  the  connection,  and  otRcial  documents 

relating  thereto,  Appendix  B 27  9 

True  Reformed  Dutch,  account  of  its  origin 128 

Clark,  Ebenezer,  commissioner  to  confer  with  commissioners  of 

Reformed  Dutch  Church 88 

Clove,  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  the,  referred  to 7S 

Coens,  Rev.  Ilenricus,  organizes  Church  of  Ilarlingen 185 

Colman,  Dr.  Benjamin,  of  Xew  England,  refered  to 147 

Colonization,  action  of  General  Synod  in  regard  to 137 

Society,  New  Jersey,  organization  of 136 

Comfort,  Rev.  David,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County 

Bible  Society 70 

Corwin,  Rev.  E.  Taiijore,  extract  from  "  Manual"  of 129 

Davies,  President  Samuel,  referred  to 102 

Demarest,  Dr.  David  D.,  extract  from  "  History  and  Character- 
istics." by 129 

De  Ronde,  Rev.  Lambertus,  referred  to 134 

De  Witt,  Dr.  John,  professor  of  theology 116 

Dr.  Thomas,  appointed  on  the  agency  to  Holland. . . .   126 
Dickey,  Rev.  Ebenezer,  efforts  of,  to  promote  Christian  union  87, 88 

Doctrinal  preaching,  importance  of. 173 

Dubois,  Nicholas,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible 

Society 70 

Dumont,  Peter  B.,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible 

Society 69 

Duryee,  Rev.  Philip,  member  of  the  committee  on  Dr.  Froeligh's 

secession 130 


INDEX. 


325 


Edwards,  Rev.  Jonathan,  referred  to 147 

Extract  from  "  Narrative  of  Surprising  Conversions,"  by,  147 

Eliot,  Rev.  John,  labors  of,  for  the  Indians 142 

Elmendorf,  Peter,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible 

Society 69 

Ely,  Dr.,  Ezra  Styles,  referred  to 142 

Ferris,  Dr.  Isaac,  invited  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  Harlingen 

Church,  but  declines Ill 

On  the  General  Synod's  committee  on  Colonization. . .   137 

Rev.  John  Mason,  referred  to 225 

Finley,  Dr.  Robert,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset 
County  Bible,  and  American  Colonization  Societies.     69 

Dr.  Samuel,  referred  to 102 

Foreign  Missions,  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for,  re- 
ferred to 138 

Connection   of  Reformed   Dutch   Church   with,   dis- 
solved    138 

Official  documents  relating  to  the  dissolution,  Appen- 
dix B 279 

Forsyth,  Dr.  John,  extract  from  "  Life  of  Proudfit,"  by 25 

Further  extract  from  same 36 

Referred  to 124 

Freeman,  Rev,  John   Edgar,   and   wife,  murdered  at 

Cawnpore,  India,  by  the  Sepoys 81 

Frelinghuysen,  Hon.  Theodore,  inauguration  of,  as  President  of 

Rutgers  College 209 

Rev.  Johannes,  first  pastor  of  Ilarlingen  Church 185 

John,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible 

Society 69 

Rev.  Theodorus  Jacobus,  referred  to 147 

Characteristics  of  preaching  of 147 


I 


Referred  to  by  President  Edwards 147 

Letter  of  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent  in  regard  to 148 

Frenean,  Philip,  the  poet,  referred  to 207 

Froeligh,  Rev.  Peter  D.,  appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada  ....     49 

Dr.  Solomon,  is  Dr.  Labagh's  pa«tor 26 

Teaches  theology 28,  114 

Officiates  at  Dr.  Labagh's  ordination 36 

Signs  his  certificate  of  ordination 38 

Commissioner  to  confer  with  commissioners  of  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  Church 91 

Conspiracy  of,  to  divide  the  Church 128 

Action  of  General  Synod  in  regard  to  it 130 

Is  suspended  from  the  ministry 131 

Sketch  of  the  life  of 133 

Death  of 135 

Referred  to 208 

Gardner,  Rev.  John,  call  and  settlement  of,  as  sixth  pastor  of 

Harlingeu  Church 183 

Takes  part  in  the  service  at  Dr.  Labagh's  funeral 215 

German  Reformed  Church.     See  Church. 

Goetschius,  Rev.  John  H.,  referred  to 134 

Gosman,  Dr.  John,  member  of  the  committee  on  the  proposed 

union  with  Associate  Reformed  Church 86 

Preaches  the  sermon  at  Dr.  Cannon's  funeral 206 

Griggstown,  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of,  causes  which  led  to 

the  organization  of 178 

Old  established  prayer  meeting  in  the  bounds  of 179 

Organization  of 179 

Referred  to 188 

Ordination  and  installation  of  second  pastor  of 197 

Resolutions  of  Consistory  of,  on  death  of  Dr.  Labagh.  216 


!  I 


INDEX. 


327 


Gunn,  Dr.,  Alexander,  appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada 51 

Guyse,  Dr.  John,  referred  to 147 

Ilackensack,  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of,  Drs.  Labagh  and  Can- 
non received  into  communion  of. 26,  208 

Ilageman,  John  R,  letter  of,  in  regard  to  the  revival  of  1831 . .   155 
Hardenbergh,  Rev.  Charles,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset 

County  Bible  Society. 70 

On  committee  to  remove  remains  of  Rev.  Elias  Van 

Bunschooten 76 

Dr.  Jacob  R.,  president  of  Queens  College 114 

Elder  J.  R.,  member  of  committee  on  Dr.  Froeligh's 

secession 1 30 

Harlingen,  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of,  organization  and  his- 
tory of 184 

Makes  informal  proposals  to  Dr.  Labagh 59 

Dissolution  of  connection  of,  with  Shannock Ill 

Introduction  of  stoves  into 112 

Great  revival  in 145,  150 

Additions  to  membership  of,  in  1810  and  1817 150 

Letter  of  John  F.  Hageman,  Esq.,  in  regard  to  great 

revival 155 

Ingathering  of  converts 165 

Revivals  in,  referred  to 187 

Ileyer,  Cornelius,  signs  proposed  plan  of  union  with  Associate 

Reformed  Church  , 96 

Holdich,  Dr.  Joseph,  speaks  on  Colonization 136 

Home,  Bishop  George,  extract  from  preface  to  memoir  of 263 

Howell,  Mrs.  Andrew,   aids  in  establishing  Sunday  school  at 

Somerville 81 

Kirkpatrick,  Alexander,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County 

Bible  Society 10 

Koelbag,  Johannes,  referred  to 185 


328 


INDEX. 


Labagb,  Rev.  Isaac,  induces  his  brother  Peter  to  atudy 22 

Referred  to 29 

Mrs.  Judith,  letters  o£ 10 

Obituary  of 13 

Remarkable   impression  of.  in   regard  to  death  of  a 

friend 16 

Emotions  on  her  son's  acceptance  of  the  Kentucky 

m  ission 39 

Dr.  Peter,  parentage  of 9 

Letters  U),  from  his  mother 10 

Death  of  mother  of. 12 

Dr.  Wilson's  obituary  of  mother  of 13 

Record  of  her  death  in  family  register 18 

Birth  of 21 

Removal  of  parents  of  to  Hackensack 22 

Begins  the  study  of  Latin 22 

Engages  in  business  in  Brookly^n 22 

Abandons  business  and  enters  upon  a  course  of  study.  22 

Text  books  of,  at  Hackensack 23 

Peculiarity  of  the  school  at  Hackensack 23 

Eaters  Erasmus  Hall,  Flatbush,  L.  1 24 

Returns  to  Hackensack 26 

Christian  experience  and  profession  of 26 

Studies  theology  with  Dr.  Froeligh 28 

Classmates  of. 28 

Accepts  Kentucky  mission 29 

Completes  his  studies  with  Dr.  Livingston 30 

Latin  certificate  of,  by  Dr.  Livingston 80 

Translation  of  certificate  of 32 

Opinion  of,  in  regard  to  Dr.  Livingatou's  teaching. ...  35 

Licensure  and  ordination  of 36,  208 

Certificate  of  ordination  of 37 


INDEX. 


329 


PAOI 

Remark  to,  by  his  mother,  in  regard  to  Kentucky  mis- 
sion   39 

Goes  on  missionary  exploring  tour  to  western  New 

York 40 

Returns  to  New  Jersey 44 

Sets  out  for  Kentucky 5*7 

Touching  incident  to,  on  the  journey 58 

Organizes  a  Church  in  Kentucky 59 

Returns  to  New  Jersey 59 

Invited  to  settle  at  Shannock 59 

Settles  at  Catskill  and  Oakhill 60 

Marriage  of  to  Magdalen  Van  Alen 60 

Death  of  wife  and  children  of 60 

Second  marriage  of  to  Maria  Schoonmaker 61 

Removes  to  Shannock  and  Ilarlingen 61 

Inaugural  discourse 61 

Chosen  a  trustee  of  Queens  college 66 

Delegate  to  German  Reformed  Synod 66 

Inaugurates  correspondence  with  that  body 6*7 

Doubts  the  expediency  of  its  termination  in  1853. ...  61 

One  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible  Society,  6Y 
Obtains  permission  for  Rev.  E.  Van  Bunschooten  to 

epeak  in  Synod 74 

On  committee  to  remove  Mr.  Van  Bunschooten's  remains  Y6 

Interested  in  organization  of  Sunday  schools 78 

Establishes  Sunday  schools  at  Harlingen 82 

Influence  of  in  General  Synod 86 

On  the  committee  to  consider  the  proposed  plan  of 

union  with  Associate  Reformed  Church 86 

Report  of  on  the  subject 96 

Sermon  of  on  death  of  his  colleague 100 

Farewell  sermon  of  at  Shannock 112 


jUg 


PAO* 

Settles  as  sole  pastor  at  Ilarlingen 112 

Report  of  on  reorganization  of  Theological  Seminary,  116 

Appointed  to  obtain  funds  for  the  Seminary 120 

Report  of  on  enlargement  of  Seminary  library 125 

Report  of  on  agency  to  Holland 125 

Report  adopted  and  agents  appointed 126 

Himself  one  of  them 126 

Appointed  to  obtain  funds  for  Seminary  and  College. .    128 
Member  of  committee  on  Dr.  Froeligh's  secession. . . .   130 

Discharges  a  disagreeable  duty 132 

Interest  of  in  benevolent  institutions 135 

One  of  the  founders  of  New  Jersey  Colonization  So- 
ciety    136 

Report  of  to  General  Synod  on  colonization 137 

Connection  of  with  case  of  Leonard  B.  Van  Dvke. . .    142 

Report  of  to  General  Synod 142 

Delegate  to  Presbyterian  General  Assembly 143 

Labors  of  during  great  revival  of  1831 154 

New  churches  formed  during  ministry  of 167 

Organizes  Blawenburgh  Church 168 

Charge  of  to  new  pastor  at  Blawenburgh 169 

Contemplates  resignation  of  his  pastoral  office 180 

Resignation  of  offered  and  acted  upon 181 

Pastoral  relation  of  dissolved  by  Classis 182 

Preaches  at  Harlingen  till  installation  of  successor.. .   183 

Farewell  sermon  of  at  Harlingen 184 

Fifth  pastor  at  Harlingen  Church 187 

Goes  to  reside  with   Mr.    and   Mrs.   Lawrence   Van 

Derveer 193 

Employments  and  diversions  of 194 

Punctuality  of  at  church  and  prayer  meeting. . .  .194,  195 
Interest  in  Sunday  school  and  Bible  class 195 


PACK 

Receives  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 195 

Obtains  funds  for  Rutgers  College 196 

Ministerial  labors  of 196 

Interest  in  meetings  of  ecclesiastical   and  benevolent 

bodies 196 

Takes  part  in  the  services  at  an  ordination 197 

Becomes  a  regular  worshiper  at  Griggstown 198 

Meets  Dr.  Cannon  there 199 

Anecdote  in  regard  to  them 200 

Intercour;<e  of  with  Dr.  Cannon 203 

Attends  Dr.  Cannon's  funeral 206 

Relative  ages  of  himself  and  Dr.  Cannon 207 

Premonitions  of  his  approaching  end 210 

Last  sickness  and  death  of 211 

Dying  testimony  of 212 

Funeral  of 213 

Impression  made  by  death  of 8,  214 

Removal  of  remains  of  to  Rocky  Hill 215 

Resolutions  of  Griggstown  Consistory  on  death  of . . . .  216 

Resolutions  of  Classis  of  Philadelphia 218 

Resolutions  of  Somerset  County  Bible  Society 219 

Resolutions  of  trustees  of  Rutgers  College 220 

Estimate  of  character  of 223 

Personal  appearance,  health  and  vigor  of 224 

Intellectual  symmetry  of 226 

Common  sense  and  judgment,  and  fertility  of  invention 

of 227 

Reasoning  powers  of 228 

Love  of  polite  literature  and  music  of 228 

Wit  and  humor  of 280,  258,  260 

Memory  of 283 

Striking  incident 234 


332  INDEX. 

FASI 

Character  of  as  a  student 234,  269 

Child-like  piety  of 236 

Returning  thanks  after  meals 238 

Character  of  as  a  preacher 239,  265 

Testimony  in  regard  to,  by  Rev.  M.  L.  Schenck 241 

Kindness  and  fidelity  of  as  a  pastor 241 

Recollections  of  Rev.  N.  D.  Williamson  in  regard  to,  242 

Care  and  labors  of  for  the  young 242 

Church  love  and  catholic  sympathies  of 247,  264 

Regard  of  for  Dr.  Miller 248 

Remark  made  to  by  Dr.  Miller 249 

Letter  of  Dr.  Van  Vechten  in  regard  to 260 

Love  of  candor  of 266 

Letter  of  Dr.  Bethune  in  regard  to 257 

Cheerfulness  of 260 

Lesson  taught  by  life  of 262 

Lansing,  Rev.  ^'icholas,  assists  at  Dr.  Labagh's  ordination. .  .86,  38 

Leydt,  Rev.  M.,  referred  to 134 

Livingston,   Dr.  John  H.,  pastor  of  Collegiate  Church,  New 

York 30,  114 

Teaches  Dr.  Labagh  theology 30 

Latin  certificate  written  by 30 

High  opinion  of  as  a  professor,  in  other  Churches. ...     86 

President  of  Queens  College 66,  115 

On   committee  to  remove  remains  of  Rev.   E.  Van 

Bunschooten 76 

Commisisioner  to  confer  with  commissioners  of  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  Church 91 

Signs  proposed  plan  of  union 96 

Connection  of  with  Theological  Seminary 114 

Extract  from  Baccalaureate  of 114 

Rei«ign9  his  pastoral  charge 116 


FAGE 

Removes  to  New  Brunswick 116 

Referred  to 134,  2O8 

Rev.    Edward  P.,  takes  part  in  services  at  Dr.  La- 
bagh's funeral 214 

Lubkert,  Rev.  Mr.,  translates  Dutch  letters  of  Mrs.  Judith  La- 
bagh       10 

Ludlow,  Dr.  Gabriel,  preaches  sermon  at  Dr.  Labagh's  funeral,  214 

Sermon  of,  Appendix  C 303 

Dr.  John,  Professor  of  Tlieology 116 

Apppointed  on  the  agency  to  Holland 126 

Luther,  Martin,   establishes   Sunday   schools  in   Germany...     78 

Mandeville,  Rev.  Garret,  classmate  of  Dr.  Labagh 29 

Mason,  Dr.  John  M.,  proposes  a  closer  connection  of  Reformed 

Dutch  and  Associate  Reformed  Churches 87 

Signs  proposed  plan  of  union 96 

Mather,  Cotton,  extract  from  "  Magnalia"  of 42 

Mathews,  Dr.  J.  M.,  referred  to 142 

Mc  Cartee,  Peter,  signs  proposed  plan  of  union 96 

Mc  Dowall,  Rev,  Robert,  missionary  in  Canada 45 

Letter  of,  in  regard  to  Reformed  Dutch  Churches  in 
Canada 46 

Mc  Leod,  Robert  B.  E.,  signs  proposed  plan  of  union 96 

Megapolensis,  Dr.  Johannes,  labors  of,  for  the  Indians 41,  44 

Melancthon,  Philip,  establishes  Sunday  schools  in  Germany. . .     78 
Messier,  Dr.  Abraham,  extract  from  paper  of,  on  "  The  Hol- 
landers in  New  Jersey" 147 

Ministerial  success  of 149 

"  Paster's  Memorial "  of,  referred  to 149 

Delivers  a  charge  at  an  installation 198 

Takes  part  in  services  at  Dr.  Labagh's  funeral 214 

Meyer,  Dr.  Herman nus,  teaches  theology 72 

Referred  to 135 


334  INDEX. 

PAOB 

Miller,  Dr.  Samuel,  visits  Dr.  Labagh,  and  preaches  for  him. .   248 

Striking  remark  of 249 

Rev.  Alexander,  teaches  at  Hackensack 22,  24 

English  Grammar  by ^2 

Referred  to 208 

Milledollar,  Dr.  Philip,  preaches  at  dedication  of  Blaweuburgh 

Church 1^® 

Missions.     See  Church  and  Foreign  Missions, 

New  Brunswick,  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of,  remains  of  Rev. 

Mr.  Van  Bunschooten  interred  in  cemetery  of 76 

Review,  extract  from 

New  Jersey  Bible  Society,  early  organization  of. 68 

Proposes  formation  of  American  Bible  Society 68 

Colonization  Society,  organization  of 136 

Anniversary  of   

Nourse,  Joseph,  commissioner  to  confer  with  commissioners  of 

Reformed  Dutch  Church 88 

Oberlin,  Rev.  John  Frederic,  labors  of,  to  promote  the  cause  of 

Sunday  schools  in  France 8^ 

Ostrander,  Rev.  Henry,  appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada 50 

Pastoral  office,  diflferent  aspects  of ^'^^ 

Qualifications  for 171,  176 

Permanency  in,  importance  of 176 

Care  of  children ^ '  ^ 

Visiting,  importance  of I'S 

Peterse,  Gerbrant,  referred  to 1^5 

Polhemus,  Dr.  Abraham,  extract  from  Alumni  Address  of 122 

Sketch  of  the  life  of 123 

Rev.  Henry,  fourth  pastor  of  Harlingen  Church 186 

Potts,  Hon.  Stacy  G.,  speaks  on  Colonization 136 


I  i 


1 1 


INDEX. 


335 


PACK 

Preaching,  doctrinal,  importance  of. 173 

Presbyterian  Church.      See  Church. 

Prince,  Rev.  Thomas,  extract  from  "  Christian  History"  of .  . . .   148 

Proudfit,  Dr.  Alexander,  extract  from  Life  of 25 

Further  extract 35 

Efforts  to  promote  Christian  union 87,  88 

Queens  College.     See  Rutgers  Ccllege. 

Raikes,  Robert,  efforts  of,  in  Sunday  school  cause 78 

Raritan,  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of,  organization  of  Somerset 

County  Bible  Society  at 69 

Increase  of  membership  of. 149 

Reformed  Dutch  Church.     See  Church. 

Reyters,  Abraham,  referred  to 185 

Rockwell,  Rev.  J.  Edson,  extract  from  "Sketches"  of 40 

Romeyn,  Dr.  Theodoric,  teaches  theology 114 

Referred  to 183,  135 

Rouse,  Rev.  Peter  P.,  collects  funds  for  Theological  Seminary.  .   120 
Rutgers,  Henry,  commissioner  to  confer  with  commissioners  of 

Associate  Reformed  Church 91 

Signs  proposed  plan  of  union 96 

College,  Dr.  Labagh  chosen  a  trustee  of. 66 

Donation  of  Rev.  Elias  Van  Bunschooten  for  benefit  of    74 

Suspension  and  revival  of 114 

Dr.  Labagh  obtains  funds  for 128,  196 

Schenck,  Rev.  Martin  L.,  extract  from  sermon  of 241 

Rev.    William   C,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset 
County  Bible  Society 70 

Schermerhorn,  Rev.  Cornelius,  contemplates  removal  to  Canada,     55 

Rev.  J.  F.,  appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada 52 

Appointed  to  collect  funds  for  the  Theo'l  Seminary. .   120 


h-i- 


336 


INDEX. 


,  FAOB 

Appointed  on  the  agency  to  Holland 127 

Preaches  at  llarlingen  during  the  Revival  of  1831.. .  .   161 

Schuneman,  Dr.  Johannes,  referred  to 133 

Schureman,  Dr.  John,  Professor  of  Theology 116 

Seamen's  Friend  Society,  American,  sentiments  of  Dr.  Labagh 

in  regard  to 138,  139 

Sears,  President  Barnas,  on  the  origin  of  Sunday  schools 78 

Shan  nock,  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of,  makes  informal  propo- 
sals to  Dr.  Labagh 59 

Dissolution  of  connection  of  with  Harlingen Ill 

Referred  to 187 

Sickles,  Dr.  Jacob,  goes  on  an  exploring  tour  to  western  New 

York 40 

Appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada 60 

Member  of  the  committee  on  union  with  the  Associate 

Reformed  Church 86 

Skillman,  Elder  Abraham,  on  the  committee  to  organize  Blaw- 

enburgh  Church 168 

Smith,  Dr.  John  Blair,  referred  to 102 

Dr.  Robert,  referred  to 102 

Dr.  Samuel  Stanhope,  referred  to 60,  102 

Rev.  William  Richmond,  pastor  of  Shaonock  and  Har- 
lingen Churches 60 

Death  of 99 

Sermon  at  funeral  of,  by  Dr.  Labagh 100 

Sketch  of  the  family  history  of 102 

Third  pastor  of  Harlingen  Church 186 

Referred  to 262 

Somerset   County,    New  Jersey,    character   of  early    settlers 

of 146 

Religious  history 146 

Bible  Society,  organization  of 67 


INDEX. 


337 


rAos 

Steddiford,  Rev.  Peter,  officiates  at  Dr.  Labagh's  installation  at 

Harlingen 61 

One  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County  Bible  Society,  69 

Stouber,  Rev.  M.,  labors  of  in  Sunday  school  cause 79 

Striker,  James,  commissioner  to  confer  with  commissioners  of 

Associate  Reformed  Church 91 

Strong,  Rev.  Paschal  N".,  signs  the  proposed  plan  of  union  with 

Associate  Reformed  Church 96 

Stryker,  Dr.  Peter  I.,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County 

Bible  Society 70 

Sunday  schools,  origin  of 78 

The  first  in  Somerset  County 81 

Opposition  to  at  Harlingen 82 

Progress  of 83 

Final  success  of 85 

Talmage,  Rev.  James  R.,  presides  at  Dr.  Labagh's  resignation  of 

his  charge  at  Harlingen 181 

Taylor,  Dr.  Benjamin  C,  statement  of,  in  regard  to  Rev.  Elias 

Van  Bunschooten's  donation  .and  bequest 74 

Referred  to 142 

Ten  Eyck,  Rev.  Conrad,  appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada. ...     49 
Referred  to 254 

Tennent,  Rev.  Gilbert,  extract  from  letter  of. 143 

Theolosrical  Seminary  of  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  effort  to  re- 

organize 113 

Success  of  the  effort 121 

Liberal  contributions  of  the  ministry  to 122 

Effort  to  enlarge  the  library  of 124 

Agency  to  Holland  for 125 

Agency  given  up 1 27 

Thomson,  Rev,  William  M,,  referred  to 161 

15 


n 


338  INDEX. 

rAoa 

Tillotson,  Archbishop  John,  extract  from  sermon  of 238 

Tract  Society,  American,  referred  to 138 

True  Reformed  Dutch  Church.     See  Church. 

Van  Bunschooten,  Rer.  Elias,  sketch  of  the  life  and  services  of,     72 

Munificent  gift  of,  to  General  Synod 74 

Remains  of,  disinterred   and  taken   to  New   Bruns- 
wick      76 

Singular  incident  at  their  disinterment 77 

Van  Derveer,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence,  referred  to, . .  .193,  214,  250 

Van  Dyke,  Leonard  B.,  difficulties  in  connection  with 140 

Extract  from  pamphlet  relating  to  case  of 141 

Van  Ilarlingen,  Rev.  Johannes  Martenus,  second  pastor  of  Ilar- 

lingen  Church 186 

Van  Vechten,  Hon.  Abraham,  draws  up  Van  Bunschooten  Be- 
quest   76 

Member  of  committee  on  Dr.  Froeligh's  .recession ....  1 30 

Dr.  Jacob,  appointed  a  missionary  to  Canada 62 

Letter  of,  in  regard  to  Dr.  Labagh 250 

Van  Vrankcn.  Dr.  Samuel  A.,  member  of  committee  on  Dr. 

Froeligh's  secession 1 30 

Delivers  a  charge  at  an  installation 198 

Takes  part  in  the  services  at  Dr.  Labagh's  funeral  214,  215 
Vredenbergh,  Rev.  John  S.,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset 

County  Bible  Society 69 

Mrs,  John  S.,  aids  in  establishing  first  Sunday  school 

at  Somerville 81 

Tragic  history  of  family  of 81 

Vroom,  lion.  Peter  D.,  speaks  on  Colonization 136 

Waldron,  Resolvert,  referred  to 185 

Watts,  Dr.  Isaac,  referred  to 147 


INDEX.  339 

PASS 

Weir,  Silas  E.',  signs  proposed  plan  of  union 96 

Williamson,  Rev.  N.  Dubois,  early  recollections  of,  in  regard 

to  Dr.  Labagh 242 

Wilson,  Dr.  Peter,  obituary  of  Mrs.  Labagh,  by 12 

Sketch  of  the  life  of 24 

Character  of,  as  a  scholar  and  teacher 25 

Referred  to 133,  207 

Witherspoon,  Dr.  John,  referred  to 102,  103 

Wyckoff,  Dr.  Isaac  N.,  invited  to  settle  at  Harlingen,  but  de- 
clines    Ill 

Zabriskie,  Rev.  John  L.,  one  of  the  founders  of  Somerset  County 

Bible  Society 70 


ERRATA. 


On  page  vi,  Preface,  instead  of,  "  although  it  wat  tuken  from  a  daguerreotype 

taken,"  &c.,  reid.  "  althcugh  it  was  copied  from  a  dHguerreotypc  taken,"  4c. 
On  pnge  43,  instead  of,  "  Bubal,"  read,  "  BahelV 
On  page  44,  instead  of  ''where"  read  ''were." 

On  page  52,  instead  of,  J.  J).  Scheraierhorn,"  read,  "J.  F.  Scherraerhorn." 
On  page  GD,  instead  of,  "  John  Vredenhergh,"  read,  "  John  S.  Vredenherghy 
On  page  70,  the  name  '•  Schenck,"  referring  to  the  Rev.  William  C,  Schenck,  i3 

erroneously  inserted  among  the  niimes  of  laymen. 

On  page  72,  instead  of,  "  Schagticoke,"  read, ''  SchagJiticokc" 

On  pa^e  132,  instead  of,  "  house  of  its  friend,"  read,  '*  house  of  its  friends." 

On  page  147,  instead  of,  "  the  Rev.  Dr.  Colman,  of  England,"  read, '» tht-  i?eT. 

Dr.  Colman,  of  Ke^o  England." 

On  pige  2.50,  instead  of,  "  Mrs.  Lawrence  Vanderveer,"  read,  "  Mrs.  Lawrence 

Van  Derveer." 


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